Oakland Athletics to Open 2008 MLB Season in Japan against Boston Red Sox

Single game tickets available for purchase on Jan. 26th

11/14/2007, OAKLAND -- Major League Baseball announced today the Oakland Athletics and World Champion Boston Red Sox will play the first two games of the 2008 regular season in Tokyo, Japan on March 25 and 26th as part of Major League Baseball's Japan Opening Series 2008.

As part of Japan Opening Series 2008, both the A's and Red Sox will also play two exhibition games against two Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teams, alternating day/night doubleheaders scheduled for March 22 and 23rd. All games in Japan will be played at the Tokyo Dome.

Japan Opening Series 2008 will mark the first MLB season opener in Japan since the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays played in front of sell-out crowds at Tokyo Dome in 2004. Over the past 10 years, eight MLB clubs (Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays) have opened their seasons outside of the United States and Canada. Overall, nearly 700,000 fans have attended 15 MLB Opening Series games in Monterrey, Mexico (Rockies vs. Padres, 1995), Tokyo, Japan (Mets vs. Cubs, 2000; Yankees vs. Rays, 2004) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (Rangers vs. Blue Jays, 2001).

"The Oakland A's are very excited and honored to be opening the 2008 season in Japan," said A's team President Michael Crowley. "Baseball is truly a game without borders and we are pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of the game's growth on the international level."

Upon conclusion of Japan Opening Series 2008, the A's will travel back to the United States to resume their spring training schedule with games against the San Francisco Giants on March 28 and 29 at AT&T Park and McAfee Coliseum, respectively. The traditional home opener is scheduled for Tuesday night, April 1 against the Red Sox. The A's will close out the first homestand of the season with a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians, April 4-6.

The Red Sox will return to the Coliseum for a three-game weekend series, May 23-25, while the New York Yankees will make their only Coliseum visit from June 10-12. The A's are scheduled to play 18 of their 26 games in June at the Coliseum, beginning with a nine-game homestand featuring Detroit, Los Angeles and the Yankees, June 2-12.

The road schedule calls for the A's will to make one trip each to New York (July 18-20), Tampa Bay (July 21-23), Boston (Aug. 1-3), Minnesota (Aug. 18-20), Kansas City (Sept. 2-4) and Baltimore (Sept. 5-7), two trips to Toronto (April 8-10; Aug. 4-7), Cleveland (April 11-13; May 13-15), Chicago (Apr. 14-15; July 3-6) and Detroit (Aug. 8-10; Sept. 8-10) in addition to three divisional stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and Texas. The A's will play 35 of their final 55 games of the season away from the Coliseum.

Oakland will conclude the season by playing the final 16 games against teams from the AL West Division. The first of two interleague series with the Giants will take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco on June 13-15 with the return set slated for June 27-29 in Oakland. The A's 18-game interleague schedule also includes home series against the Florida Marlins (June 20-22) and Philadelphia Phillies (June 24-26) with road stops in Atlanta (May 16-18) and Arizona (June 17-19).

The A's are not scheduled to play on either Memorial Day (May 26) or Labor Day (Sept. 1) and will spend Independence Day in Chicago playing the White Sox.

Season ticket packages for the 2008 season start as low as $80 and are available by calling 510-638-GOA's. For additional ticket information, please visit the A's website at www.oaklandathletics.com or call 510-638-GOA's. Single-game tickets will go on sale at the McAfee Coliseum Box Office and online at oaklandathletics.com on Saturday, January 26th at 9:00am PST. Spring Training tickets go on sale at www.oaklandathletics.com on Monday, December 17th at 10:00am PST.

Oakland Athletics 2008 Regular Season Schedule

March
25 Boston (at Tokyo, Japan) TBA
26 Boston (at Tokyo, Japan) TBA

April
1 Boston 7:05 pm
2 Boston 7:05 pm
3 Off Day
4 Cleveland 7:05 pm
5 Cleveland 1:05 pm
6 Cleveland 1:05 pm
7 Off Day
8 at Toronto 4:07 pm
9 at Toronto 4:07 pm
10 at Toronto 4:07 pm
11 at Cleveland 4:05 pm
12 at Cleveland 4:05 pm
13 at Cleveland 10:05 am
14 at Chicago 5:11 pm
15 at Chicago 11:05 am
16 Seattle 7:05 pm
17 Seattle 7:05 pm
18 Kansas City 7:05 pm
19 Kansas City 1:05 pm
20 Kansas City 1:05 pm
21 Off Day
22 Minnesota 7:05 pm
23 Minnesota 7:05 pm
24 Minnesota 12:35 pm
25 at Seattle 7:10 pm
26 at Seattle 6:10 pm
27 at Seattle 1:10 pm
28 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
29 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
30 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm

May
1 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
2 Texas 7:05 pm
3 Texas 1:05 pm
4 Texas 1:05 pm
5 Baltimore 7:05 pm
6 Baltimore 7:05 pm
7 Baltimore 12:35 pm
8 Off Day
9 at Texas 5:05 pm
10 at Texas 5:05 pm
11 at Texas 12:05 pm
12 Off Day
13 at Cleveland 4:05 pm
14 at Cleveland 4:05 pm
15 at Cleveland 9:05 am
16 at Atlanta 4:35 pm
17 at Atlanta 4:05 pm
18 at Atlanta 10:35 am
19 Tampa Bay 7:05 pm
20 Tampa Bay 7:05 pm
21 Tampa Bay 12:35 pm
22 Off Day
23 Boston 7:05 pm
24 Boston 6:05 pm
25 Boston 1:05 pm
26 Off Day
27 Toronto 7:05 pm
28 Toronto 7:05 pm
29 Toronto 12:35 pm
30 at Texas 5:05 pm
31 at Texas 5:05 pm

June

1 at Texas 12:05 pm
2 Detroit 7:05 pm
3 Detroit 7:05 pm
4 Detroit 12:35 pm
5 Off Day
6 Los Angeles 7:05 pm
7 Los Angeles 6:05 pm
8 Los Angeles 1:05 pm
9 Off Day
10 New York 7:05 pm
11 New York 7:05 pm
12 New York 7:05 pm
13 at San Francisco 7:15 pm
14 at San Francisco TBD
15 at San Francisco 1:05 pm
16 Off Day
17 at Arizona 6:40 pm
18 at Arizona 6:40 pm
19 at Arizona 12:40 pm
20 Florida 7:05 pm
21 Florida 6:05 pm
22 Florida 1:05 pm
23 Off Day
24 Philadelphia 7:05 pm
25 Philadelphia 7:05 pm
26 Philadelphia 12:35 pm
27 San Francisco 7:05 pm
28 San Francisco 6:05 pm
29 San Francisco 1:05 pm
30 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm

July
1 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
2 at Los Angeles 12:35 pm
3 at Chicago 5:11 pm
4 at Chicago 4:05 pm
5 at Chicago 4:05 pm
6 at Chicago 11:05 am
7 Seattle 7:05 pm
8 Seattle 7:05 pm
9 Seattle 7:05 pm
10 Seattle 12:35 pm
11 Los Angeles 7:05 pm
12 Los Angeles 6:05 pm
13 Los Angeles 1:05 pm
14-17 All-Star Break in New York
18 at New York 4:05 pm
19 at New York TBD
20 at New York 10:05 am
21 at Tampa Bay 4:10 pm
22 at Tampa Bay 4:10 pm
23 at Tampa Bay 9:40 am
24 Off Day
25 Texas 7:05 pm
26 Texas 6:05 pm
27 Texas 1:05 pm
28 Kansas City 7:05 pm
29 Kansas City 7:05 pm
30 Kansas City 12:35 pm
31 Off Day

August
1 at Boston 4:05 pm
2 at Boston TBD
3 at Boston 10:35 am
4 at Toronto 3:07 pm
5 at Toronto 4:07 pm
6 at Toronto 4:07 pm
7 at Toronto 4:07 pm
8 at Detroit 4:05 pm
9 at Detroit 4:05 pm
10 at Detroit 10:05 am
11 Off Day
12 Tampa Bay 7:05 pm
13 Tampa Bay 7:05 pm
14 Tampa Bay 12:35 pm
15 Chicago 7:05 pm
16 Chicago 6:05 pm
17 Chicago 1:05 pm
18 at Minnesota 5:10 pm
19 at Minnesota 5:10 pm
20 at Minnesota 10:10 am
21 at Seattle 7:10 pm
22 at Seattle 7:10 pm
23 at Seattle 7:10 pm
24 at Seattle 1:10 pm
25 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
26 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
27 at Los Angeles 7:05 pm
28 Minnesota 7:05 pm
29 Minnesota 7:05 pm
30 Minnesota 6:05 pm
31 Minnesota 1:05 pm

September
1 Off Day
2 at Kansas City 5:10 pm
3 at Kansas City 5:10 pm
4 at Kansas City 5:10 pm
5 at Baltimore 4:05 pm
6 at Baltimore 4:05 pm
7 at Baltimore 10:35 am
8 at Detroit 4:05 pm
9 at Detroit 4:05 pm
10 at Detroit 10:05 am
11 Texas 7:05 pm
12 Texas 7:05 pm
13 Texas 1:05 pm
14 Texas 1:05 pm
15 Off Day
16 Los Angeles 7:05 pm
17 Los Angeles 7:05 pm
18 Los Angeles 12:35 pm
19 Seattle 7:05 pm
20 Seattle 1:05 pm
21 Seattle 1:05 pm
22 at Texas 5:05 pm
23 at Texas 5:05 pm
24 at Texas 11:05 am
25 Off Day
26 at Seattle 7:10 pm
27 at Seattle TBD
28 at Seattle 1:10 pm