It’s that time of year when, no matter how quiet or frustrating the offseason, the prospect of a clean 162-game slate is too intriguing to pass up.

Anything is possible, Red Sox fans know that better than anyone.

Well, anything except for a good night’s sleep, because the 2024 campaign kicks off with a lengthy west-coast road trip. The nocturne begins March 28 in Seattle, with Opening Day – or rather Opening Night – slated for 10:10 p.m. ET. The second and third games of their quartet with the Mariners are slightly earlier, with first pitch at 9:40 p.m. ET.

After a Sunday matinee, the Sox will head down to Oakland, where they’ll usher in April with three games against the A’s between the first and third of the month. Then, they’ll enjoy their first off-day before a weekend in Anaheim, starting with the Angels’ home opener on Friday, April 5. The first two games of each series are set for 9:40 and 9:38 p.m. ET, respectively.

20 years already

The home opener promises to be an emotional day. It’s one of those incomprehensible baseball coincidences, or signs from the universe, that the first Fenway game since Tim Wakefield passed away last Oct. 1 (the final day of the ‘23 season), takes place on Tuesday, April 9, when he wore No. 49 for his entire career. The Red Sox will wear No. 49 patches on their jerseys this season in his honor.

Expect a 2004 reunion at the home opener, too, because somehow, it’s already the 20th anniversary of that historic season.

Speaking of, it’s fitting that the Red Sox play in St. Louis this year. They can take their anniversary celebration show back to the site of its inception when they face the Cardinals on May 17-19. Of course, Busch Memorial Stadium was demolished after the 2005 season, so Busch III will have to suffice.

Shorter stretches

Last April, the Red Sox played a whopping 19 games without a day off. This season, there’s no stretch longer than 13 games, but they have four of them: April 9-21, May 10-22, and Aug. 9-21 and Aug. 23-Sept. 4.

Balanced chaos

For the second year in a row, Major League Baseball will embark upon more balanced schedules, in which each team has at least one series against the other 29. This means fewer divisional meetings. The Yankees don’t come to town until June 14-16, and their second and final Fenway series takes place just over a month later (July 26-28).

However, September will be laden with AL East battles – including 10 consecutive games against division rivals in an 11-day span – which should only intensify what projects to be another fierce competition for the division title. The Sox play their final road series in Toronto on Sept. 23-25. After visiting for the home opener (Apr. 9-11), the Orioles won’t return to Boston until Sept. 9-11. Immediately after, the Sox will head to the Bronx for their final rivalry matchup (four games between Sept. 12-15), then fly to Tampa Bay for a three-game set on Sept. 17-19. The Rays will also be the final visitors of the regular season, on the weekend of Sept. 27-29.

The obvious home highlight to circle on the calendar is the San Diego Padres’ visit at the end of June (28-30). It’ll be Xander Bogaerts’ first time playing at Fenway Park as a visitor, and Don Orsillo’s first time doing a non-national broadcast there.

Other old friends will pop up throughout the season. Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves come to Boston for two games on June 4-5, and Nathan Eovaldi and the defending-champion Texas Rangers come to town Aug. 12-14. Perhaps Carl Yastrzemski will make an appearance when his grandson, Mike, and the San Francisco Giants’ are at Fenway from April 30 to May 2.

Following the All-Star break (July 15-18), the Red Sox open the second half in Los Angeles, where they’ll face off against Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. No sweat, right?

Key 2024 regular-season dates

The Red Sox’s Marathon Monday game, which coincides with league-wide Jackie Robinson Day, will commence at the customary 11:10 a.m. ET time on Monday, April 15.

Star Wars fans will get to celebrate Star Wars Night a little early this year, on April 30, as the team will be out of town on May 4. May the Fourth be with you, always.

On Mother’s Day, the Red Sox host the Washington Nationals for a 1:35 p.m. matinee.

As was the case last season, the Yankees are in town for Father’s Day weekend, and the rivals will face off on Sunday Night Baseball. Who’s your daddy?

Key 2024 MLB dates:

A week before all 30 teams play on Opening Day, the Dodgers and Padres were in South Korea for the Seoul Series from March 20-21.

Other international contests include the Astros’ and Rockies’ Mexico City Series (April 27-28) and the London Series (June 8-9), played this year by the Mets and Phillies.

In addition to Jackie Robinson Day, Major League Baseball will join together to honor Lou Gehrig Day on June 2, and Roberto Clemente Day on Sept. 15.

On June 20, the Cardinals and Giants will play a nationally-broadcast game in the country’s oldest professional ballpark, Rickwood Field. The Birmingham, Ala. diamond was home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. In the summer of 1948, long before becoming a Hall of Famer, Willie Mays was a Baron.