Opening Day Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Pirates RHP Paul Skenes departs after shortest start of career
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes had the shortest start of his young career when he did not make it out of the first inning of Thursday's season-opening game at the New York Mets.,Skenes recorded just two outs before he was removed by Pirates manager Don Kelly. Poor defense led to Skenes ...

Orioles, Twins hope new managers lead to contending seasons
There'll be a double dose of managerial debuts when the Minnesota Twins visit the Baltimore Orioles for Thursday's opener.,Derek Shelton will be in his first game in charge of the Twins. New Orioles skipper Craig Albernaz is in his first managerial role.,Shelton was fired by Pittsburgh last May and ...

Brewers, White Sox entrust Opening Day to young All-Star flamethrowers
The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski when they open defense of their National League Central Division title against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.,Misiorowski (5-3, 4.36 ERA in 2025), an All-Star selection last season as a rookie afte...

Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki (knee) will not be ready for Opening Day
Chicago Cubs power-hitting outfielder Seiya Suzuki will not be available for Opening Day, manager Craig Counsell told the assembled media before Saturday's Cactus League game vs. Seattle in Peoria, Ariz.,The Cubs open the season at Wrigley Field vs. the Nationals on Thursday. Counsell ruled Suzuki o...

Matt Vasgersian tabbed for Opening Day broadcast, Netflix's MLB debut
Matt Vasgersian is set to become the voice of Netflix's first step into Major League Baseball.,Vasgersian is slated to handle play-by-play for the streamer's Opening Night showcase when the New York Yankees visit the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 25. It's the first MLB regular-season ...

Mets give Opening Day nod to RHP Freddy Peralta
Right-hander Freddy Peralta will not have to wait long to make his New York Mets debut after he was named Opening Day starter by manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday.,Peralta, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers last month in a trade for two top prospects, is set to take the mound March 26 at ho...

Drew Rasmussen named Opening Day starter by Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays will hand the ball to right-hander Drew Rasmussen on Opening Day.,Manager Kevin Cash told reporters Thursday at spring training in Port Charlotte, Fla., that it was "a pretty easy call" to start Rasmussen against the Cardinals in St. Louis on March 26.,Rasmussen finished the 2025 ...

Report: Netflix lands MLB Opening Day game
Netflix is continuing its foray into the live sports market and is gaining the rights to exclusively stream the MLB 2025 season opener, The Athletic reported Thursday.,The standalone opener features the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants and is scheduled for March 25. The rest of the Opening ...

Tyler O'Neill extends record by hitting HR for sixth straight Opening Day
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill hit a three-run homer in the third inning on Thursday to extend his major league record of homering on Opening Day to six in a row.,O'Neill's blast to right field came against right-hander Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays and gave Baltimore a 5-0 lead....

Guardians' Tanner Bibee scratched from Opening Day start
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee was scratched from Thursday's Opening Day start against the host Kansas City Royals due to illness.,The team announced that Bibee is dealing with acute gastroenteritis and will be replaced on the mound by right-hander Ben Lively.,Bibee, 26, had been sche...

Optimistic White Sox, Angels eye rebound from franchise-worst '24
Mike Trout is out to prove once again he's built to last as a cornerstone of the Angels. The Chicago White Sox are crossing their fingers they won't prove to be built for last. ,As Opening Day optimism swirls, the White Sox and Los Angeles Angels hope Thursday's pomp lasts longer than one afternoon....

Opening Day starters include 22 former All-Stars
Twenty-two former All-Stars are among the 30 pitchers taking the mound on domestic Opening Day this season.,Major League Baseball confirmed the mound matchups on Tuesday for the 14 games being played on March 27 and one on March 28.,Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes of the Pitt...

X factor for each NL team
With the start of the baseball season upon us, teams are finalizing their rosters, hoping to put together the group of players that will lead them to the postseason. Which player could be a key -- the X factor -- for each National League team?,National League East,Atlanta Braves: RHP Grant Holmes,Ho...

X factor for each AL team
With the start of the baseball season upon us, teams are finalizing their rosters, hoping to put together the group of players that will lead them to the postseason. Which player could be a key -- the X factor -- for each American League team?,American League East,Baltimore Orioles: RHP Zach Eflin,T...

Home again: Japanese stars take center stage for Dodgers, Cubs in Tokyo
A hearty homecoming is on tap as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open the 2025 MLB season in Tokyo on Tuesday against fellow Japanese countrymen Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and the Chicago Cubs.,Yamamoto will take the mound for the reigning World Series champion Do...

Pirates pick obvious first-time Opening Day starter
Paul Skenes is the Opening Day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a first-time distinction for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and All-Star Game starter. ,Manager Derek Shelton did have other options, but he said there was one obvious choice. ,"Well, he's really good," a smiling Shelton...

Seasoned closer Clay Holmes surprise Opening Day starter for Mets
Longtime reliever Clay Holmes was named Opening Day starter for the New York Mets, who begin the season March 27 in Houston.,Holmes last started a game in 2018 and has four starts in his career, which includes All-Star closer credentials in 2022 and 2024. ,Holmes prepared for a move to the rotation ...

How every MLB team will tank their seasons and break their fans' hearts in 2023
You can all give up the Rogers Hornsby quotes, already. We made it Opening Day, when hope springs eternal for millions of MLB fans across the country, a least for a few days/weeks. We’d all love to believe that our team has as much of a chance of winning the World Series as any other but, realistica...

As Much as I Miss Baseball, This Fanless, Pandemic Opener Leaves Me With an Empty Feeling
In 1943, with their roster torn asunder by players called into military service for World War II, the Philadelphia Eagles moved to Pittsburgh for the year, merged with the Steelers, and became known as the Steagles....

With Opening Day Postponed Indefinitely, How Could This Season Look? Let's Break it Down
It was always pie in the sky that baseball would be able to get back up and running with Opening Day delayed a mere two weeks, which was their original postponement due to the spread of COVID-19. With the CDC saying Sunday it was recommending eight weeks of a ban on events with more than 50 people, ...