2012 Pawtucket Red Sox Schedule
The Pawtucket Red Sox will play their 2012 season-opener at McCoy Stadium on Thursday, April 5th against the Buffalo Bisons at 7:05 pm. The PawSox 2012 season starts with a unique 6-game homestand that begins with a pair of games vs. Buffalo on April 5 (7:05 pm) and April 6 (6:15 pm). The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, who eliminated the IL North Champion PawSox in the International League playoffs last September, visit next for four games featuring a scheduled single-admission doubleheader on Saturday, April 7 at 4:05 pm at McCoy. The clubs will take the next day off (Easter Sunday on April 8) before resuming the series with games on April 9 at 6:15 pm and April 10 at 12:05 pm to conclude Pawtucket's initial homestand of the season.
The PawSox will once again play a 144-game International League schedule but this season they will actually have 76 games at home and 68 on the road. The four added home games at McCoy occur from August 14-17 when the PawSox will host the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees for a 4-game set that was originally scheduled for PNC Field in Moosic, PA. However, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's home ballpark will be undergoing an extensive renovation this season so the Yankees will be forced to play all of their games on the road in 2012. Most will be played in Rochester, NY including a pair of games against the PawSox on July 30 & 31. Pawtucket's other originally scheduled trip to Scranton was to be on May 5 & 6 but those two games will instead be played in Batavia, NY. During the 4-game series at McCoy from August 14-17, the Yankees will be considered the "home" team in all four of those games vs. the PawSox.
The PawSox will play 16 games against each of their five International League North rivals - 8 home & 8 away against everyone with the exception of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre who Pawtucket plays 12 times at home & 4 on the road. The PawSox will again play 8 games against each of the other eight IL clubs from the West & South Divisions (4 home & 4 away).
All 14 International League teams are back with the same Major League club and in the same divisional set-up as last year. The Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox own the longest affiliation relationship (since 1973) in all of the IL.
Pawtucket's home schedule consists of 58 night games and 18 day games with the following breakdown by month: April (12), May (16), June (16), July (14), August (15), and September (3).
PawSox home night games through early-May will begin at 6:15 pm with the exception of Opening Night (April 5 at 7:05 pm). Pawtucket will commence with regular 7:05 pm weeknight starts on May 11 and play virtually all of their weeknight home games at 7:05 pm for the remainder of the season. The PawSox will play each of their Saturday night home games one hour earlier than weeknights beginning at 6:05 pm. Sunday games will remain at 1:05 pm with the exceptions of May 27 (Memorial Day eve) and September 2 (Labor Day eve) which will both start at 6:05 pm with fireworks to follow the game.
Pawtucket will play six weekday home matinees at 12:05 pm on April 10, April 25, May 10, May 14, July 19, and August 9. Two other unique game times on the schedule will occur on Saturday, April 7 with the scheduled 4:05 pm doubleheader vs. Lehigh Valley and on Memorial Day Monday, May 28 when the PawSox host Norfolk at 4:05 pm.
The Sox will conclude their regular-season schedule on Labor Day Monday, September 3 vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 1:05 pm at McCoy. Four teams will again qualify for the International League playoffs that begin on September 5 - the three division winners and one wild card (the second-place team with the best record). The Governors' Cup Finals will be played from September 11-15 while the Triple-A National Championship Game between the IL Champ and the PCL Champ will be staged on September 18 in Durham, NC.
PawSox ticket information and availability will be released at a later date.