TORONTO -- A home-and-away series against the Cubs and a single-admission doubleheader against the Athletics are among the highlights for the Rays in 2017.
All 30 Major League teams released their 2017 schedules Wednesday. The schedule is subject to change.
• Rays' 2017 regular-season schedule
For the second consecutive year, the Rays will open the season as part of ESPN's national Opening Day coverage when they host the Yankees on April 2 at Tropicana Field. Game time will be announced at a later date.
This will be the fourth time the Rays have hosted the Yankees in their home opener. The Rays won the three previous games in 2004, '09 and '12. This will be the eighth consecutive season the Rays will open the season at home. The Rays have sold out their past 11 home openers.
The Yankees return for a weekend series May 19-21 and another three-game set Sept. 11-13.
Popular former Rays manager Joe Maddon will return to Tropicana Field for the first time since leaving the team following the 2014 season. He'll do so as the manager of the Cubs.
The Rays will host the Cubs Sept. 19-20 and visit Wrigley Field July 4-5. The Cubs will be making only their second appearance at Tropicana Field and the first since the Rays swept them in a three-game series in 2008.
The single-admission doubleheader is scheduled for June 10 and will be the Major League Baseball's first scheduled doubleheader since July 16, 2011, when the A's hosted the Angels, and only the second since the A's played at Minnesota on June 7, 1996.
"Many of us in the Rays' organization have fond memories of single-gate doubleheaders, so this is something that we have long wanted to do," said Rays president Brian Auld. "The schedule lines up for it nicely next season and we're going to work hard to make it a special day at Tropicana Field."
It will also be the second doubleheader at Tropicana Field. On Sept. 30, 2004, the Rays and Tigers played a single-admission doubleheader after Hurricane Frances forced postponement of their game four weeks earlier.
For the fifth consecutive season, the Rays will play 20 Interleague games. The Rays will face all five teams from the National League Central Division and continue their annual home-and-home series with the Marlins.
Other interleague home opponents include the Reds (June 19-21) and Brewers (Aug. 4-6). The Rays will visit Pittsburgh's PNC Park and Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park.
The schedule includes 76 games versus their rivals from the American League East and 33 against the teams from both the AL Central and AL West. The breakdown includes 19 games each against the Yankees (nine home, 10 away), Orioles (nine home, 10 away), Red Sox (nine home, 10 away) and Toronto Blue Jays (10 home, nine away).
The Rays will play seven games against the Royals, Tigers, Indians, Angels, Athletics and Astros. The Rays will have six games apiece versus the White Sox, Twins, Rangers and Mariners.
The Rays conclude the regular season Sept. 29-Oct. 1 with a three-game set against the Orioles.