Symmetrical 154-game MLB schedules, 1901-2025

[uruguru]

I've always been a fan of symmetrical schedules where each team in a division plays the same schedule. This is how historical leagues work, of course, until the leagues expand to 14 games (AL:1977,NL:1993).

However, it is possible to maintain symmetrical schedules with a 154-game season for pretty much any league size. The attached file is a zip of symmetrical 154-game schedules for each MLB season from 1901 (16 total teams) to 2025 (30 total teams). For years with identical structures (e.g 1901-1960), the team IDs are shuffled so the schedules vary each year.

Details about the schedules
154 games over 25 weeks (175 days)
Start day should be first Monday on/after April 3rd.
Symmetrical schedules for division rivals
5-day All-Star Break in Week 15
Each team has 12 weekend homestands
No Doubleheaders
No Interleague games

How they work, by league size
8 teams - 1 division, 22 games vs each division rival. This was the AL until 1961, and the NL until 1962
10 teams - 2 divisions, 5 teams each. 26 games vs each division rival, 10 games vs other teams.
12 teams - 2 divisions, 6 teams each. 26 games vs each division rival, 4 games vs other teams.
14 teams - 2 divisions, 7 teams each. 14 games vs each division rival, 10 games vs other teams.
16 teams - 2 divisions, 8 teams each. No inter-divisional games. 22 games vs each division rival.


How the MLB will need to be restructured within OOTP to use these symmetrical schedules
1901-1960 : Each league has 8 teams. No change necessary.
1961: AL expands to 10 teams. AL must be restructured into two 5-team divisions.
1962-1968: Both leagues have 10 teams. AL & NL must be restructured into two 5-team divisions.
1969-1976: Both leagues have 12 teams. No change necessary.
1977-1992: AL has 14 teams, NL has 12 teams. No change necessary.
1993: Both leagues have 14 teams. No change necessary.
1994-1997: Both AL & NL switch to 3 divisions. Both must be restructured back to two 7-team division.
1998-2012: NL expands to 16 teams. Both leagues need to be restricted back to two divisions.
2013-present: Houston forced to AL because reasons. Need to revert to 14/16 structure with two divisions.

I'm going to experiment with creating some files that will restructure the league automatically for each division. I'm not sure if it can be done, but if it can I'll add it here.

[niu354]

I thought all schedules were symmetrical until 1997 when interleague play began.

[bwburke94]

The 1977-78 AL (first two years for the Blue Jays and Mariners) was asymmetrical; teams played 72 games against 7 non-division opponents which didn't divide evenly.

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by uruguru

How they work, by league size
8 teams - 1 division, 22 games vs each division rival. This was the AL until 1961, and the NL until 1962
10 teams - 2 divisions, 5 teams each. 26 games vs each division rival, 10 games vs other teams.
12 teams - 2 divisions, 6 teams each. 26 games vs each division rival, 4 games vs other teams.
14 teams - 2 divisions, 7 teams each. 14 games vs each division rival, 10 games vs other teams.
16 teams - 2 divisions, 8 teams each. No inter-divisional games. 22 games vs each division rival.

For the sixteen-team leagues, can't you do 14 games against divisional opponents and 7 games against non-divisional opponents? Or does that odd number of non-divisional games violate your symmetry condition?

Also, how many schedules have you made for each configuration? I need to know that for when I put these in the master list.

[bwburke94]

Treating home/away balance as part of "symmetry" doesn't make sense in the modern era. 7-game splits are part of baseball and should be embraced, not avoided.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

For the sixteen-team leagues, can't you do 14 games against divisional opponents and 7 games against non-divisional opponents? Or does that odd number of non-divisional games violate your symmetry condition?

Splitting 7 games creates a home/road mismatch

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

Also, how many schedules have you made for each configuration? I need to know that for when I put these in the master list.

Don't do that just yet. While testing them I realized I forgot to break up home/road stretches into reasonable sizes. I'll let you know when the "master" version of each schedule is ready.

Also, I have a powershell script that will automatically randomize teams within a schedule, which is how I created a zillion variations of each type so easily.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by bwburke94

Treating home/away balance as part of "symmetry" doesn't make sense in the modern era. 7-game splits are part of baseball and should be embraced, not avoided.

You're entitled to your opinion, but 154-game schedules of all things do not need to adhere to "modern era" sensibilities.


You are free to embrace whatever modern-era sensibilities you want in your OOTP sim, but I'm going to keep playing without the DH, interleague games, and wildcard teams.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by niu354

I thought all schedules were symmetrical until 1997 when interleague play began.

None of the 14-team schedules were ever symmetrical. So basically the AL was symmetrical until 1977, and the NL until 1993.

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by uruguru

Splitting 7 games creates a home/road mismatch.

How so? If you play seven games against eight opponents, you have 56 games total: 28 home and 28 away - four 3/4 series and four 4/3 series. Unless I'm missing something, every team plays the same number of home and away games.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

How so? If you play seven games against eight opponents, you have 56 games total: 28 home and 28 away - four 3/4 series and four 4/3 series. Unless I'm missing something, every team plays the same number of home and away games.

It's a home/road mismatch for each team.

Let's say the Giants play 4 at home vs the Mets, and 3 on the road

But their division rival Dodgers play 3 at home vs the Mets, and 4 on the road

There were no "odd number of games against an opponent" until the leagues expanded to 14 teams in a league.

[joefromchicago]

Originally Posted by uruguru

It's a home/road mismatch for each team.

Let's say the Giants play 4 at home vs the Mets, and 3 on the road

But their division rival Dodgers play 3 at home vs the Mets, and 4 on the road

There were no "odd number of games against an opponent" until the leagues expanded to 14 teams in a league.

Well, you're essentially setting up four leagues just so you can avoid a slight blip in the schedule, but whatever. Your league, your choice. Just seems like a missed opportunity to me. There are other 16-team, 154-game schedules out there, but none that I can find that have the 14 divisional/7 non-divisional setup.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

Well, you're essentially setting up four leagues just so you can avoid a slight blip in the schedule, but whatever.

That's very close to true. When a league expands to 16-teams, then yes it is essentially split into two leagues. This is not done, however, to avoid a "slight blip" in the schedule, but to ensure schedule fairness among all of the teams competing for the same playoff spot. That's the entire point of symmetrical schedules, and it's preferable from that perspective to acknowledge that it's time to split a large league into two than to create a schedule imbalance.

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

Your league, your choice. Just seems like a missed opportunity to me.

You are correct, this is my choice. I'm not to deny that. But I suspect that I am not the only person who appreciates the fairness of symmetrical schedules.

There are other 16-team, 154-game schedules out there, but none that I can find that have the 14 divisional/7 non-divisional setup.

See, that's an opportunity! You can do what I did and figure out how to make your own custom schedule and then create that 14/7 setup and share it with your like-minded players.