Happy Opening Day!
I'm offering a special sale to mark the return of baseball! Plus, my rapid-fire quick thoughts on each and every single game on tap today...
We’ve made it - Happy Opening Day!
The best day of the year is finally here.
Spring has sprung, the delicious scent of hot dogs can be whiffed in the air, hope is eternal and anything is possible for every single team in baseball today.
Yes, even White Sox fans are allowed to dream on Opening Day.
To celebrate the glorious return of America’s National Pastime, I want to do two things for you this morning…
First, I’m pulling the trigger on a special Opening Day sale.
Now, as is always the case, ALL content will remain absolutely FREE on this website. That won’t ever change.
However, paid subscriptions will help to keep the lights on, keep the trains on the track and enable me to keep talking baseball with you all every single day.
If you are able to upgrade to a paid subscription to help support the newsletter, I’ll be forever grateful.
But, if you can’t, that’s perfectly fine too. Your support will always mean the world, and just spreading the word about what we’re trying to do here is a massive help.
Now, secondly, I want to get you all pumped up for today’s festivities by sharing a quick one-line thought about all 14 games on the schedule on Opening Day.
For some reason, the Rays and the Rockies will open up their 2025 campaigns on Friday, as opposed to today. So we will worry about those two teams tomorrow.
Again, I’m going to attempt to fly through these. I’ll be back throughout the day with a lot more content as we get set for the first games of the 2025 MLB regular season.
So, here goes…
One Quick Reason Why I’m Excited For Each Game On Opening Day
Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees, 3:05 PM EST (RHP Freddy Peralta vs. LHP Carlos Rodón)
The Yankees enter the regular season ravaged by injuries and without ace Gerrit Cole. How well will their Juan Soto pivot work? We’ll start to find that out today. Plus, never, ever sleep on the Brewers. They are always sneaky good, no matter who they lose from the roster.
Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays, 3:07 PM EST (RHP Zach Eflin vs. RHP José BerrÃos)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will want to get his contract year off to a hot start, while Jackson Holliday will start to show that he belongs in the majors.
Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers, 4:05 PM EST (LHP Garrett Crochet vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi)
Garrett Crochet. Alex Bregman. Kristian Campbell. Hope has returned to Boston baseball. Plus, the Rangers are going to be a lot of fun to watch this year.
Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals, 4:05 PM EST (RHP Zack Wheeler vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore)
I have one name for you - Dylan Crews. The Nationals outfielder is my pick for NL ROY, and I can’t wait to watch him show why on Opening Day.
Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals, 4:10 PM EST (RHP Tanner Bibee vs. LHP Cole Ragans)
I have a feeling Bobby Witt Jr. is going to make me look stupid for not picking him for AL MVP. Either way, I can’t wait to see the shortstop do what he does best on Opening Day. Plus, watch Jonathan India absolutely rake for the Royals this year.
New York Mets at Houston Astros, 4:10 PM EST (RHP Clay Holmes vs. LHP Framber Valdez)
Watching Juan Soto step to the plate for his first regular season at-bat in a Mets jersey is going to be beyond cool. Also very excited for Cam Smith’s MLB debut with the Astros.
San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds, 4:10 PM EST (RHP Logan Webb vs. RHP Hunter Greene)
I’ve missed watching Elly De La Cruz cause absolute mayhem on the basepaths with his blistering speed.
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres, 4:10 PM EST (LHP Chris Sale vs. RHP Michael King)
This is the best matchup of Opening Weekend. Period. The Braves are the second best team in the NL, and the Padres are arguably the most slept on team. Dylan Cease. Fernando Tatis Jr.. Manny Machado. Jackson Merrill. Man, there’s a lot of talent on that San Diego team.
Anaheim Angels at Chicago White Sox, 4:10 PM EST (LHP Yusei Kikuchi vs. RHP Sean Burke)
Mike Trout will play right field in 2025 in order to stay on the field. I am praying to the Baseball Gods right now that Trout can stay healthy and put together an MVP-caliber season. Also, the White Sox can’t suck as bad as they did in 2024, can they? Can they?!
Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins, 4:10 PM EST (RHP Paul Skenes vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara)
Paul Skenes on the mound for his first Opening Day start. That is all.
Minnesota Twins at St. Louis Cardinals, 4:15 PM EST (RHP Pablo López vs. RHP Sonny Gray)
I’m fascinated to see how the Willson Contreras experiment at first base plays out for the Cardinals. We’ll get a first look at that in a game that matters today. Plus, expect Carlos Correa to put his slow spring behind him, and quickly.
Detroit Tigers at LA Dodgers, 7:10 PM ET (LHP Tarik Skubal vs. LHP Blake Snell)
Shohei Ohtani. Tarik Skubal vs. Blake Snell. Freddie Freeman hitting bombs. Yep, I’ll be locked into this game from the get-go.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks, 10:10 PM EST (LHP Justin Steele vs. RHP Zac Gallen)
The Cubs are already 0-2 on the year after being swept in the Tokyo Series. But I still like that roster a lot, and I’m excited to see Kyle Tucker, Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong try and bounce back against a really talented D-Backs team.
Athletics at Seattle Mariners, 10:10 PM EST (RHP Luis Severino vs. RHP Logan Gilbert)
The Mariners have a loaded, talent-laden rotation, headlined by an absolute stud in Logan Gilbert. But will they be able to put up enough offense? That Athletics team is fun. They are going to be funky this year.
Okay, hopefully you are all set for Opening Day and have plans to not leave the couch once the games begin.
Again, I absolutely adore today and I feel beyond lucky and blessed to get to write and talk about this wonderful game for a living.
I am so, so happy Opening Day is here.
Welcome back, baseball.
And I’ll be back later with a couple of other newsletters as we continue to bask in the glow of the best day of the year!
