The new Yankee Stadium will host a season-opening game for the first time in 2011, according to the just-released Major League Baseball schedule.
Entering its third season, the big ballpark in the Bronx will host the season opener on Thursday, March 31 against the Detroit Tigers, kicking off the Yankees' perennial pursuit of a World Series title in a three-game series.
The Yankees had previously opened on the road in 2009 and '10, although Yankee Stadium did host two exhibition games against the Cubs in '09 so the team could test various aspects of the new facility before the actual opener.
Yankee Stadium will also host the Minnesota Twins on the Bombers' opening seven-game homestand before they make their first trip of the season, playing the Boston Red Sox from April 8-10 at Fenway Park.