“As much as we love the Brewers, unlike Jesus, they didn’t die for your sins,” the bishop said in a statement. “With regard to beer and brats on Good Friday: let’s just say that’s why God created the three-game series.”

For millions of Americans, Major League Baseball’s opening day is more than a rite of spring, it’s a near-religious experience. But for Jews and Christians in eight American cities, their team’s home opener coincides with actual holy days.

For Jews, Passover begins at sundown on Friday (April 6) with seders that celebrate their forebears’ exodus from Egypt. It is also Good Friday, when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus.

Major League Baseball has run into occasional complaints for playing on Good Friday, but April 6 is unusual for being both a Christian and a Jewish holiday this year.

Michael Teevan, senior director of public relations for Major League Baseball, which sets the schedule in concert with ballclubs, said it’s a tough task to organize the 2,430 games played by 30 teams each year.

“We certainly respect the solemn religious days and the people who observe them,” Teevan said. “But just as a logistical matter, it can certainly be a big challenge. Sometimes we’re at the mercy of how the calendar falls.”

Eighteen teams are playing on Friday, with eight hosting their home openers. All of the Friday games except for one – the Chicago White Sox visiting the Texas Rangers – start after 3 p.m. Christians traditionally maintain a solemn silence and refrain from entertainment from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Good Friday to mark the time when Jesus hung on the cross.

John Blake, a spokesman for the Rangers, said, “I have checked with our fan relations, ticket sales, and on-line departments and they have not received any feedback regarding the timing of Friday’s game.”

Teevan said MLB did not direct teams when to start their games on Friday. “We believe teams know their markets and their traditions best,” he said.

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