ST. LOUIS -- With their Opening Day game against the Mets scheduled for March 29, the Cardinals are slated to begin the 2018 regular season earlier than ever before.
• Cardinals' 2018 season schedule 
It will mark the first time the Cardinals have opened the season at Citi Field, and the team's first opener in New York since 1996, when the Mets still played at Shea Stadium. MLB pushed up the start of the 2018 season in order to accommodate the addition of four extra off-days during the six-month season.
The Cardinals will follow the three-game series in New York with three games in Milwaukee, before hosting the D-backs in their home opener on April 5. First pitch at Busch Stadium that day is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT.
The club's schedule also includes meetings with all five American League Central clubs as part of the Cardinals' Interleague schedule. That includes home series against the White Sox (May 1-2), Twins (May 7-8), Royals (May 21-23) and Indians (June 25-27). The Cardinals will travel to Minnesota (May 15-16), Chicago (July 10-11), Kansas City (Aug. 10-12) and Detroit (Sept. 7-9).
All three of the Cardinals' home series against the Cubs (May 4-6, June 15-17, July 27-29) fall on weekends. The Cardinals will play the Cubs seven times in the first 11 days after the All-Star break, including in a nationally-televised game on July 19 at Wrigley Field.
The Cardinals are also slated to finish the season at Wrigley Field, marking the first time the Cardinals and Cubs will end the regular season against each other in Chicago since 1991.
Game times, ticket pricing and ticket availability for all 81 home dates will be announced at a later date.