Team slated to open ‘05 in Philadelphia

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Washington baseball team will open the 2005 season on the road, playing April4 in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park in a 3:05p.m. game, according to the tentative National League schedule for next season.

The home opener at RFK Stadium is set for April15, when the Arizona Diamondbacks begin a three-game visit, although the schedule remains tentative.

After season opener in Philadelphia, there is a day off, followed by two games to wrap up the series. The Washington club also is scheduled to finish the season in Philadelphia, a rival in the National League East, with a four-game series from Sept.29 to Oct.2.

The last time a Philadelphia team met a Washington team was 50 years ago, when the Philadelphia Athletics played the Washington Senators in the American League.

In interleague play, the NL East is scheduled to face the AL West, a division that includes the Texas Rangers, the second version of the Washington Senators. That franchise left town after the 1971 season to move to Arlington, Texas.