Baseball Scheduling?

Question

In the typical MLB schedule, when a team from one division plays a team from another division, a home and home seriens is scheduled; in the AL they may meet in three series in a few cases because they have fewer team.

That home and home series is composed of a three or four game series. However, when the Mets were scheduled to visit the Cubs for their only visit to Chicago, it was only for a 2 game series. I have only observed 2 game series scheduled if the team if coming to town more than once.

Is this a quirk in the schedule or is this a major change that effects all team. If you answer the first, please note that you are aware that it is a quirk or aberration; if you answer the second, please provide several examples of other interdivision opponents that come to a town only once playing a 2 game series.

Thanks, epurman

Answer 1

This is a direct result of Inter-league play.  The scheduling creates multiple loopholes (not all of them the 2-game format you share here) to accommodate the scheduling of these games.  This is especially true for the rivalry scenarios like Cubs/White Sox, Yankees/Mets.  

The example I have handy is the Orioles and Mariners.  Before Inter-league play, the Mariners came to Baltimore 2x per season for a total of 6 games (usually 3 and 3) and the Orioles did the same in Seattle - totalling 12 games.  This year, Seattle only came to Baltimore once for a 4-game set while the O's went to Seattle two times for a total of 6 more.  

Answer 2

I don't think that any Yahoo Answerer can answer this question.

Try your search engine and type in MLB schedules and follow the links.