ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have released their 2020 regular-season schedule, and it includes a first.

No, we don't mean a game in Montreal. But the Rays will open play against a National League team, which they have never done.

Opening Day will be Thursday, March 26, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It will be the 11th consecutive year the Rays start the season at home.

Game times will be announced at a later date. 

This will be the first time the Rays have faced a National League opponent on Opening Day, and only the fifth time they have faced a club outside of the American League East.

For the eighth straight season, Tampa Bay will play 20 interleague games, and they will oppose all five teams from the NL Central and continue their annual home-and-home series with the Miami Marlins. The Rays are scheduled to host the Pirates (March 26-29), Milwaukee Brewers (May 30-31), St. Louis Cardinals (July 10-12) and Marlins (July 28-29). They will play interleague road series at Chicago (July 3-5), Milwaukee (July 7-8), Cincinnati (July 31–August 2) and Miami (September 8-9). It will be only the team’s second trip to Milwaukee, following June 20-22, 2011.

The Rays will play 19 games against each of their AL East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles (9 home, 10 away), Boston Red Sox (10 home, 9 away), New York Yankees (10 home, 9 away) and Toronto Blue Jays (10 home, 9 away). The schedule features two home weekend series against the Red Sox (August 7-9, September 17-20).

The last chance to secure 2019 season tickets with benefits, including postseason privileges, is Thursday, August 15. For information on season tickets and group tickets for the 2019 or 2020 seasons, fans should call 888-FAN-RAYS or visit RaysBaseball.com.