Representatives of the Major League Baseball (MLB) announced on Monday the official game times for the 2012 regular season, set to kick off with the Japan Opening Series 2012 and Opening Night in the United States on April 4th.

The Japan Opening Series, featuring the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, will be held on March 28-29. The U.S opener will pit the defending World Series champion Cardinals vs. the Florida Marlins in the first regular-season ballgame at Marlins Park in Miami at 7:05 p.m. ET.

In addition, seven other games are set for April 5th, marking the second consecutive season in which the MLB Opening Day will take place on a Thursday. Besides the 2011 season, the only other seasons to have started on a Thursday were 1901-1904, 1907, 1912, 1959, 1973-74 and 1976. On Thursday, April 5th, the Boston Red Sox will visit the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. ET, followed by the Marlins at Cincinnati Reds at 4:05 p.m.

Friday's games include the San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks at 4:10 p.m. MST/PT, followed by the Kansas City Royals visiting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 7:05 p.m. PT in the Angels debut of nine-time All-Star Albert Pujols. The first full slate of games (15 in total) will be played on Saturday, April 7th. The final day of the regular season is scheduled to be October 3.

Here’re other highlights of the 2012 MLB schedule as announced by Major League Baseball officials:

• The Milwaukee Brewers open their season against the Cardinals at Miller Park on April 6 at 3:10 p.m. CT as the NL Central rivals meet for the first time since the 2011 NL Championship Series.

• The Dodgers will host the Padres at Dodger Stadium at 1:10 p.m. PT on April 15, a day designated as Jackie Robinson Day throughout MLB.

• The Tigers will open a four-game series against the Rangers at Comerica Park on April 19 at 7:05 p.m. ET in a rematch of the 2011 ALCS.

• The 16th season of Interleague Play will feature many renewals of past World Series, including Reds-Yankees and Pirates-Tigers (starting May 18); Mets-Yankees, Phillies-Orioles, Astros-White Sox, Blue Jays-Braves, Tigers-Reds and Rangers-Giants (starting June 8); Yankees-Braves, Pirates-Orioles, Tigers-Cubs (starting June 11-12); Phillies-Blue Jays, Red Sox-Cubs, Royals-Cardinals and White Sox-Dodgers (starting June 15); Cubs-White Sox, Giants-Angels, Braves-Yankees, Orioles-Mets and Dodgers-Athletics (June 18-19); and Cardinals-Royals, Giants-Athletics, Yankees-Mets, Rays-Phillies and Tigers-Pirates (starting June 22).

• The 2012 All-Star Game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 10, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

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