MLB Opening Day has finally arrived!
Twenty-eight of 30 teams will be in action Thursday, with the opening matchup between the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays scheduled for Friday.
The New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers are getting things started on ESPN. Soon after, things really heat up with nine games beginning between 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET — highlighted by Juan Soto‘s debut for the New York Mets at the Houston Astros and an NL showdown between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
Later, the Los Angeles Dodgers will raise their World Series banner before taking on the Detroit Tigers at 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN. That’s followed by two late-night games on the West Coast, including Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Chicago Cubs.
What are we looking for as the season gets started? Our reporters give their pregame takes from the ballparks, and we’ll also post lineups as they are announced and live updates throughout the day, followed by takeaways from each game as it concludes.
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Live Opening Day updates
MIL-NYY | BAL-TOR | BOS-TEX | PHI-WSH | CLE-KC
NYM-HOU | SF-CIN | ATL-SD | LAA-CHW | PIT-MIA
MIN-STL | DET-LAD | CHC-ARI | ATH-SEA | COL-TB
Live Opening Day updates
Opening Day lineups and storylines
(All “one thing to know” stats courtesy of ESPN Research.)
Thursday
Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees
First pitch: 3:05 p.m. ET on ESPN
The pitching matchup: Freddy Peralta vs. Carlos Rodón
The big storyline: The post-Juan Soto era begins with Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton missing as well. New York’s tumultuous winter — the Cole opt-out-and-back-in, Soto’s departure to Queens, the pivot, the injuries — leaves the defending American League champions with a to-be-defined future. Were Cole not out for the season after Tommy John surgery, and Stanton not sidelined indefinitely with bilateral elbow pain, the Yankees would feel confident about their season. Now, there are questions about who can step up alongside Aaron Judge to carry New York.
Milwaukee shares some of those are-they-as-good-as-last-year questions after losing shortstop Willy Adames in free agency and trading closer Devin Williams to … the Yankees. With Jackson Chourio‘s impending superstar turn and a team that always seems to manage to win, the Brewers still have enough talent to remain the class of the NL Central. — Jeff Passan
One thing to know for New York: Left fielder Jasson Dominguez is the favorite (+400) at ESPN BET to win the American League Rookie of the Year in 2025.
One thing to know for Milwaukee: Following the departure of Adames, Joey Ortiz is now expected to play shortstop, a position he played just 10 games at last season.
Lineups
Brewers
Jackson Chourio (R) LF
Christian Yelich (L) DH
William Contreras (R) C
Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B
Sal Frelick (L) RF
Joey Ortiz (R) SS
Garrett Mitchell (L) CF
Vinny Capra (R) 3B
Brice Turang (L) 2B
Yankees
Austin Wells (L) C
Aaron Judge (R) RF
Cody Bellinger (L) CF
Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B
Jasson Dominguez (S) LF
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
Ben Rice (L) DH
Oswaldo Cabrera (S) 3B
The pitching matchup: Zach Eflin vs. Jose Berrios
Lineups
Orioles
Colton Cowser (L) LF
Adley Rutschman (S) C
Jordan Westburg (R) 2B
Ryan O’Hearn (L) DH
Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
Ryan Mountcastle (R) 1B
Cedric Mullins (L) CF
Ramon Urias (R) 3B
Jackson Holliday (L) SS
Blue Jays
Bo Bichette (R) SS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
Anthony Santander (S) LF
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Alejandro Kirk (R) C
George Springer (R) CF
Will Wagner (L) DH
Ernie Clement (R) 3B
Alan Roden (L) RF
The pitching matchup: Garrett Crochet vs. Nathan Eovaldi
Lineups
Red Sox
Jarren Duran (L) LF
Rafael Devers (L) DH
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Triston Casas (L) 1B
Trevor Story (R) SS
Kristian Campbell (R) 2B
Wilyer Abreu (L) RF
Connor Wong (R) C
Ceddanne Rafaela (R)
Rangers
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) DH
Wyatt Langford (R) LF
Adolis Garcia (R) RF
Jake Burger (R) 1B
Josh Jung (R) 3B
Kevin Pillar (R) CF
Kyle Higashioka (R) C
Josh Smith (L) SS
The pitching matchup: Zack Wheeler vs. MacKenzie Gore
Lineups
Phillies
Trea Turner (R) SS
Bryce Harper (L) 1B
Alec Bohm (R) 3B
Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
J.T. Realmuto (R) C
Max Kepler (L) LF
Nick Castellanos (R) RF
Bryson Stott (L) 2B
Brandon Marsh (L) CF
Nationals
CJ Abrams (L) SS
James Wood (L) LF
Luis Garcia Jr. (L) 2B
Josh Bell (S) DH
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Paul DeJong (R) 3B
Keibert Ruiz (S) C
Dylan Crews (R) RF
Jacob Young (R) CF
The pitching matchup: Ben Lively vs. Cole Ragans
Lineups
Guardians
Steven Kwan (L) LF
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Lane Thomas (R) CF
Carlos Santana (S) 1B
Kyle Manzardo (L) DH
Jhonkensy Noel (R) RF
Bo Naylor (L) C
Gabriel Arias (R) 2B
Brayan Rocchio (S) SS
Royals
Jonathan India (R) 3B
Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS
Vinnie Pasquantino (L) DH
Salvador Perez (R) C
Michael Massey (L) 2B
Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
MJ Melendez (L) LF
Cavan Biggio (L) 1B
Kyle Isbel (L) CF
New York Mets at Houston Astros
The pitching matchup: Clay Holmes vs. Framber Valdez
Lineups
Mets
Francisco Lindor (S) SS
Juan Soto (L) RF
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Mark Vientos (R) 3B
Brandon Nimmo (L) LF
Starling Marte (R) DH
Tyrone Taylor (R) CF
Luisangel Acuna (R) 2B
Luis Torrens (R) C
Astros
Jose Altuve (R) LF
Isaac Paredes (R) 3B
Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
Christian Walker (R) 1B
Yainer Diaz (R) C
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Cam Smith (R) RF
Brendan Rodgers (R) 2B
Jake Meyers (R) CF
The pitching matchup: Logan Webb vs. Hunter Greene
Lineups
Giants
LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) 1B
Willy Adames (R) SS
Jung Hoo Lee (L) CF
Matt Chapman (R) 3B
Heliot Ramos (R) LF
Patrick Bailey (S) C
Wilmer Flores (R) DH
Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF
Tyler Fitzgerald (R) 2B
Reds
TJ Friedl (L) CF
Matt McLain (R) 2B
Elly De La Cruz (S) SS
Gavin Lux (L) LF
Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B
Spencer Steer (R) DH
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 1B
Jake Fraley (L) RF
Jose Trevino (R) C
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
The pitching matchup: Chris Sale vs. Michael King
Lineups
Braves
Jurickson Profar (S) LF
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Marcell Ozuna (R) DH
Ozzie Albies (S) 2B
Michael Harris II (L) CF
Drake Baldwin (L) C
Orlando Arcia (R) SS
Jarred Kelenic (L) RF
Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
Luis Arraez (L) 1B
Manny Machado (R) 3B
Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
Jackson Merrill (L) CF
Yuli Gurriel (R) DH
Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B
Brandon Lockridge (R) LF
Elias Diaz (R) C
The pitching matchup: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Sean Burke
Lineups
Angels
Taylor Ward (R) LF
Nolan Schanuel (L) 1B
Mike Trout (R) RF
Jorge Soler (R) DH
Tim Anderson (R) 2B
Luis Rengifo (S) 3B
Logan O’Hoppe (R) C
Jo Adell (R) CF
Kevin Newman (R) SS
White Sox
Miguel Vargas (R) 3B
Luis Robert Jr. (R) CF
Andrew Benintendi (L) DH
Andrew Vaughn (R) 1B
Austin Slater (R) RF
Lenyn Sosa (R) 2B
Korey Lee (R) C
Jacob Amaya (R) SS
Michael A. Taylor (R) LF
The pitching matchup: Paul Skenes vs. Sandy Alcantara
Lineups
Pirates
Tommy Pham (R) LF
Bryan Reynolds (S) RF
Oneil Cruz (L) CF
Joey Bart (R) C
Andrew McCutchen (R) DH
Nick Gonzales (R) 2B
Endy Rodriguez (S) 1B
Ke’Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) SS
Marlins
Xavier Edwards (S) SS
Kyle Stowers (L) LF
Jonah Bride (R) DH
Matt Mervis (L) 1B
Otto Lopez (R) 2B
Griffin Conine (L) RF
Derek Hill (R) CF
Graham Pauley (L) 3B
Nick Fortes (R) C
The pitching matchup: Pablo Lopez vs. Sonny Gray
Lineups
Twins
Matt Wallner (L) RF
Carlos Correa (R) SS
Byron Buxton (R) CF
Trevor Larnach (L) DH
Ryan Jeffers (R) C
Ty France (R) 1B
Willi Castro (S) 2B
Jose Miranda (R) 3B
Harrison Bader (R) LF
Cardinals
Lars Nootbaar (L) LF
Willson Contreras (R) 1B
Brendan Donovan (L) 2B
Nolan Arenado (R) 3B
Alec Burleson (L) DH
Ivan Herrera (R) C
Jordan Walker (R) RF
Victor Scott II (L) CF
Masyn Winn (R) SS
Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
First pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN
The pitching matchup: Tarik Skubal vs. Blake Snell
The big storyline: The Dodgers already opened their season from Japan last week, but this will be a chance to truly see one of the most talented teams in recent memory for one obvious reason: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who missed the two games against the Cubs because of an illness and rib discomfort, respectively, are both expected to start, making the Dodgers’ lineup whole for their stateside opener.
Hovering above that will be a marquee pitching matchup featuring two of the game’s best left-handers in Skubal, who won the AL Cy Young Award unanimously last year, and Snell, the two-time Cy Young winner who joined the Dodgers on a $182 million contract over the offseason. The Dodgers won’t see much better pitchers than Skubal all year, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare. But don’t forget that the Tigers are young and ascending and could vie for a division title of their own. — Alden Gonzalez
One thing to know for Los Angeles: The Dodgers look to become not only the first defending champion to reach the World Series the following season since the 2009 Phillies, but the first repeat title winners since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000.
One thing to know for Detroit: Skubal is the favorite to win the award again at +360, per ESPN BET, which would make him the first AL pitcher to repeat as a Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez did it in 1999 and 2000.
Lineups
Tigers
Andy Ibanez (R) 3B
Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
Riley Greene (L) LF
Spencer Torkelson (R) DH
Manuel Margot (R) RF
Colt Keith (L) 1B
Javier Baez (R) SS
Jake Rogers (R) C
Ryan Kreidler (R) CF
Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
Mookie Betts (R) SS
Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF
Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
Tommy Edman (S) CF
Will Smith (R) C
Max Muncy (L) 3B
Miguel Rojas (R) 2B
Andy Pages (R) LF
Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks
First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Justin Steele vs. Zac Gallen
The big storyline: Coming off their 0-2 start in Japan against the Dodgers, the Cubs will look to get the bats going after hitting .172 without a home run in those initial two games. Steele will get the starting assignment after pitching the second game in Tokyo, when he allowed five runs and two home runs in five innings.
Longtime Diamondbacks ace Gallen gets the nod of Arizona, which isn’t necessarily odd, except manager Torey Lovullo waited so long to make the decision between Gallen and $210 million free agent Corbin Burnes that he had to start Gallen because Burnes wasn’t going to be on his preferred routine — which means he now won’t start until the D-backs’ fifth game of the season, against the Yankees. Corbin Carroll had a huge spring training, a good sign for Arizona’s chances to repeat in leading the majors in runs scored. — Schoenfield
One thing to know for Arizona: Ketel Marte‘s 36 home runs last season were the most by an MLB second baseman since 2021.
One thing to know for Chicago: The Cubs, who are favored to win the NL Central, are seeking to win their first division title in a full season since 2017.
Lineups
Cubs
TBD
D-backs
Ketel Marte (S) 2B
Corbin Carroll (L) RF
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) LF
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
Gabriel Moreno (R) C
Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
Randal Grichuk (R) DH
Jake McCarthy (L) CF
Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS
First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Luis Severino vs. Logan Gilbert
The big storyline: The Athletics begin on the road, so we’ll have to wait until the team’s second series of the season against the Cubs to get a first look at their new home park in Sacramento, California (which they’re sharing with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate). The A’s will be starting a rookie duo at middle infield in shortstop Jacob Wilson, who appeared in 28 games last season, and second baseman Max Muncy (not THAT Max Muncy, although the two improbably also share the same birthdate), a non-roster invite who made the team with Zack Gelof out with a broken hamate bone.
The Mariners will look to continue their recent domination of the A’s: They went 21-5 against them the past two seasons. The Mariners didn’t have a good spring but ended on a high note when they signed Cal Raleigh to a six-year, $105 million extension that buys out three years of free agency. — Schoenfield
One thing to know for Seattle: The Mariners have had four consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2000 to 2003, but spent just $3.5 million on free agents this offseason, which was the second-lowest (behind the Cardinals) of any team in MLB.
One thing to know for the A’s: After 57 seasons in Oakland, the A’s will be playing at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the next three seasons before a planned move to Las Vegas.
Lineups
Athletics
Lawrence Butler (L) RF
Brent Rooker (R) DH
JJ Bleday (L) CF
Shea Langeliers (R) C
Miguel Andujar (R) LF
Tyler Soderstrom (L) 1B
Gio Urshela (R) 3B
Max Muncy (R) 2B
Jacob Wilson (R) SS
Mariners
Victor Robles (R) RF
Julio Rodriguez (R) CF
Cal Raleigh (S) C
Randy Arozarena (R) LF
Luke Raley (L) DH
Jorge Polanco (S) 3B
Rowdy Tellez (L) 1B
Ryan Bliss (R) 2B
J.P. Crawford (L) SS
Friday
Colorado Rockies at Tampa Bay Rays
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Kyle Freeland vs. Ryan Pepiot
The big storyline: This game was supposed to be about Shane McClanahan‘s return to the mound after missing 2024, but he went down with nerve irritation in his left triceps in his final spring training start, landing on the IL. Instead, Pepiot will get the ball as the Rays host the Rockies in their adopted home field, George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training stadium. Two players to watch for the Rays: sophomore third baseman Junior Caminero, who hit four home runs in camp, but otherwise struggled, hitting .149; and infielder Curtis Mead, who hit .529. Mead is expected to get the start at first base, with Yandy Diaz serving as the DH.
For the Rockies, center fielder Brenton Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar are two of the most exciting defenders in the game — both won Gold Gloves in 2024 — but, barring a miracle, the Rockies aren’t going to score enough runs to be competitive. — Schoenfield
One thing to know for Tampa Bay: The Rays will be playing this season’s home games at the Yankees’ spring training facility after their home park of Tropicana Field sustained damages from Hurricane Milton in October.
One thing to know for Colorado: Doyle, who has won Gold Gloves in each of his first two seasons in the majors, will look to become the third Rockies player to win the award in three consecutive seasons since Nolan Arenado (2013-20) and Hall of Famer Larry Walker (1997-99).