The Tokyo Series jumpstarted MLB's 2025 regular season schedule on March 18-19, with the defending World Series champion Dodgers earning a two-game sweep over the Cubs at the Tokyo Dome. But that was just a sneak preview of sorts.
Now comes the main attraction: Opening Day. A 14-game slate on Thursday, March 27, will see 26 other MLB teams begin their seasons, with the Cubs and Dodgers also resuming play. (The Rays and Rockies will be the last to get things going, on Friday, March 28, to allow an extra day to prepare Tampa's George M. Steinbrenner Field.)
So let's strap in and prepare for one of the most highly anticipated days on the baseball calendar. Here is a guide to all 15 remaining season openers, beginning with the 14 scheduled for Thursday. These are listed in order of start time (all times ET). Every game is available live on MLB.TV (local and national blackout restrictions apply).
MARCH 27
Brewers at Yankees, 3:05 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs. Carlos Rodón (NYY) -- With 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees will give the ball to Rodón for the Opening Day start. Meanwhile, Peralta will be making his second straight Opening Day start for the Brewers.
See this new face: The Yankees’ new closer is none other than Devin Williams, who spent his first six seasons with the Brewers before being traded to New York in December. Williams is one of a number of marquee names the Yankees acquired after losing Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency. The Bronx Bombers also added outfielder Cody Bellinger, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and starter Max Fried.
Note to know: The Brewers’ Christian Yelich is set to return after undergoing season-ending back surgery last August. Yelich homered in last year’s season opener and finished the campaign with a .910 OPS over 73 games.
Orioles at Blue Jays, 3:07 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Zach Eflin (BAL) vs. José Berríos (TOR) -- Eflin also faced the Blue Jays on Opening Day last year, when he was a member of the Rays. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he will become the fourth pitcher since 1900 to start consecutive Opening Day contests against the same club while pitching for two different teams, joining Sad Sam Jones (1921 Red Sox and ’22 Yankees vs. Washington), Wes Ferrell (’37 Red Sox and ’38 Nationals vs. Philadelphia A’s) and Madison Bumgarner (2019 Giants and ’20 D-backs vs. San Diego). Berríos has made three previous Opening Day starts -- two for the Twins and one for the Blue Jays.
See this new face: After hitting 44 homers for Baltimore in 2024, Anthony Santander left the O’s as a free agent to sign a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays in the offseason. Now, he’s set to make his Blue Jays debut against his former club.
Note to know: Tyler O'Neill, who inked a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles in free agency, has homered on Opening Day in each of the past five years, setting an AL/NL record in the process (per Elias). The Canada native will have a chance to open the 2025 season on home soil as he looks to extend his streak to six.
Red Sox at Rangers, 4:05 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) -- Crochet will be making his Red Sox debut after being acquired from the White Sox in a blockbuster trade this past December. One year ago, the left-hander made the first start of his professional career when he took the mound on Opening Day for Chicago. He went on to enjoy a breakout season, recording a 3.58 ERA with 209 K’s over 146 innings. Eovaldi is set to become the first pitcher to start consecutive season openers for the Rangers since Kevin Millwood started four straight from 2006-09.
See this new face: In addition to Crochet, Alex Bregman will also be making his Red Sox debut after signing a three-year, $120 million deal with the club in free agency. Bregman, who spent his first nine seasons with the Astros, has played more games (129) and collected more hits (134) against the Rangers than any other opponent during his career.
Note to know: The Rangers have gone 3-0 on Opening Day at Globe Life Field since the park opened in 2020.
Phillies at Nationals, 4:05 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. MacKenzie Gore (WSH) -- Wheeler will make his second straight Opening Day start for the Phillies after finishing second in NL Cy Young voting in 2024. Gore, a longtime Top 100 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is looking for a breakout year in his fourth Major League season.
See this new face: Nathaniel Lowe will make his Nationals debut after being acquired from the Rangers in December for lefty reliever Robert Garcia. The first baseman hit .302 with an .850 OPS in 2022 to win AL Silver Slugger honors and won a Gold Glove at the position the following year. Lowe slots into the middle of a talented batting order including young outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews.
Note to know: These NL East foes are opening the season against each other for the first time since 2010, when Roy Halladay threw seven strong innings in an 11-1 Phillies win at Nationals Park.
Guardians at Royals, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Ben Lively (CLE) vs. Cole Ragans (KC) – Ragans joins Paul Splittorff, Bud Black and Danny Duffy as the only Royals left-handers to make consecutive Opening Day starts. He struck out nine in six innings against the Twins last year. The Guardians were planning to give the Opening Day nod to Tanner Bibee, but Lively will start instead after Bibee was scratched due to an illness hours before first pitch.
See this new face: The Royals have reshaped their bullpen over the last six months, trading for Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg last July before signing Carlos Estévez in free agency this offseason. The three combined for 177 strikeouts in 167 1/3 innings last year, and the Royals can look forward to a full season of their services.
Note to know: The Guardians open the season on the road for the fifth straight season; they went 0-3 in the first of those games before winning 8-0 at Oakland last year. The teams split Opening Day games in 2020 and 2022, their only season openers against each other this century.
Mets at Astros, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Clay Holmes (NYM) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU) -- Valdez draws his fourth straight Opening Day nod for the Astros, while the Mets counter with Holmes – the reliever-turned-starter making just his fifth career start and first since 2018 in what will be his Mets debut.
See this new face: All eyes are on Juan Soto, who begins a new era with the Mets after signing a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract in the offseason. Soto marveled in Spring Training, making an immediate impact: He bashed a towering opposite-field home run in his very first at-bat.
Note to know: Valdez is the first Astros pitcher to start four consecutive Opening Days since Roy Oswalt, who made a franchise-record eight straight Opening Day starts from 2003-10.
Giants at Reds, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Logan Webb (SF) vs Hunter Greene (CIN) -- Webb, who already holds the franchise record for Opening Day strikeouts (he had 12 against the Yankees in 2023), will kick off the Giants' regular season for the fourth consecutive year. He'll meet Greene, making his second Opening Day start fresh off a breakout performance in 2024 that earned him his first All-Star appearance and a few Cy Young votes.
See this new face: After signing the largest contract in Giants franchise history over the winter, shortstop Willy Adames will make his team debut in a ballpark he's well acquainted with from his time in Milwaukee. Adames hit .251 with 32 homers, 112 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and a 118 OPS+ in 2024.
Note to know: The Giants' incredible Opening Day left fielders streak turns 19 -- as in, whoever starts in left on Thursday for San Francisco will be the 19th individual player to receive the honor in the last 19 seasons, dating back to Barry Bonds in 2007. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, 19 in a row also ties the all-time record previously held by the Browns-turned-Orioles who had their own left field randomizer from 1937-55.
Braves at Padres, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Chris Sale (ATL) vs. Michael King (SD) -- The reigning NL Cy Young and pitching Triple Crown winner will square off against the man who dominated the Braves with 12 strikeouts in Game 1 of last year's NL Wild Card Series. Sale will make his sixth Opening Day start -- and first since 2019 -- while King makes his first. If last season is any indication, this could be a sour day for hitters on both sides.
See this new face: Veteran Jurickson Profar had a breakout, All-Star season with the Padres in 2024 (24 homers; 134 OPS+), then parlayed that into a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves, who see the switch-hitting outfielder as a key ingredient in their offensive plans this season.
Note to know: This is the second straight season in which the Braves will open in the place where their previous season ended. Atlanta was swept by the Padres at Petco Park in the Wild Card Series last October. The Braves opened last season at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where the Phillies eliminated them in the 2023 NLDS.
Angels at White Sox, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) vs. Sean Burke (CWS) -- Kikuchi, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Angels over the offseason, will make his first career Opening Day start. Burke, who made his MLB debut last season and made four appearances, will be the first pitcher since the Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to start on Opening Day with fewer than 20 career innings in the Majors.
See this new face: Along with Kikuchi, Jorge Soler also enters his first year with the Angels. Acquired from Atlanta during the offseason, the Angels are banking on Soler -- owner of 191 career home runs and a .464 slugging percentage -- providing power for a lineup that severely lacked thump in 2024.
Note to know: Both clubs are looking for their top stars to stay healthy. For the Angels, that’s Mike Trout (29 games played in 2024), while the White Sox are hoping for a full season from Luis Robert Jr. (100 games).
Pirates at Marlins, 4:10 p.m ET
SP matchup: Paul Skenes (PIT) vs. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) -- Skenes will start his first Opening Day after a dominant debut season that resulted in him winning NL Rookie of the Year. Alcantara, who missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, will make his fifth Opening Day start for the Marlins.
See this new face: The Pirates will be the 10th team Tommy Pham has suited up for. The veteran spent last season with the White Sox, Cardinals and Royals, posting a .673 OPS in 116 games.
Note to know: Skenes will be the second reigning Rookie of the Year to start Opening Day on the mound opposite a pitcher who had previously won a Cy Young (Alcantara in 2022). The only other pitcher was Cal Morton, the 1970 NL Rookie of the Year who started on Opening Day in '71 against Tom Seaver.
Twins at Cardinals, 4:15 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Pablo López (MIN) vs. Sonny Gray (STL) -- The former Minnesota teammates each received AL Cy Young votes in 2023 (Gray finished second, López finished seventh), but neither was able to fully build on that success last season. Gray, in his second season in St. Louis, makes his first Opening Day start for the team (his fourth overall), while López makes his third. They'll both look to regain the form that made them All-Stars two seasons ago.
See this new face: Willson Contreras isn't a new face on the Cardinals, but he is a pretty new face at first base, where he'll be a regular this season for the first time in his career. Contreras, primarily a catcher since his debut in 2016, has just 11 appearances at first, and none since 2019.
Note to know: This is the 12th time in 16 seasons since outdoor Target Field opened in 2010 that the Twins have played their opener on the road. They lost the first seven of those road Opening Days but have won three of four since.
Tigers at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. Blake Snell (LAD) -- You’ve got to love an Opening Day matchup that pits arguably the game’s best starting pitcher against the reigning World Series champs in their home ballpark. Skubal was the AL’s pitching Triple Crown winner and the unanimous choice for the Cy Young. He’ll be tested right out of the gate by Shohei Ohtani and company. Snell, meanwhile, will make his debut for a Dodgers team that is 2-0 after sweeping the Tokyo Series against the Cubs last week -- which they did, for the record, without Mookie Betts (illness) and Freddie Freeman (rib discomfort) in their lineup.
See this new face: Gleyber Torres begins this season against the same opponent he faced to close out 2024. The two-time All-Star has joined Detroit’s infield after a seven-year run with the Yankees in which he ultimately fell a little short of the sky-high expectations set for him as a former top prospect. However, Torres hit well down the stretch of last season and into the playoffs before the Bronx Bombers were defeated by Los Angeles in the World Series in five games.
Note to know: The Dodgers are 5-2 in their first home game directly after World Series-winning season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, MLB’s reigning World Series champ is 79-40 all-time in its home opener. (.664 win percentage)
Cubs at D-backs, 10:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Justin Steele (CHC) vs. Zac Gallen (AZ) -- After a long deliberation, Arizona tabbed Gallen, who will be making his third consecutive Opening Day start for the D-backs (ending Corbin Burnes' personal streak of three straight Opening Day starts from 2022-24.) Steele will be making his second appearance of the 2025 regular season after starting the second game of the Tokyo Series last week, a game in which he gave up five runs across four innings.
See this new face: Burnes' D-backs debut will have to wait until next week's series against the Yankees, but making his stateside Cubs debut will be three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker, acquired over the winter from the Astros. Tucker has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball since his breakout 2021 season and is coming off an injury-marred 2024 in which he played just 78 games but managed to hit 23 home runs with an OPS+ of 181.
Note to know: Ketel Marte will make his eighth Opening Day start for the D-backs, tying the franchise record held by Luis Gonzalez, who also started eight in a row from 1999-2006.
Athletics at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Luis Severino (ATH) vs. Logan Gilbert (SEA): The Major League leader in innings pitched (208 2/3) and WHIP (0.89) in 2024, Gilbert will take the ball on Opening Day for Seattle for the first time in his career. Severino, who had a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts with the Mets in 2024, will be making his second Opening Day start after doing so in 2018 for the Yankees.
See this new face: Severino, who came to the A’s on a franchise-record $67 million deal, and lefty Jeffrey Springs -- acquired from the Rays this offseason -- will anchor a young rotation for a team hoping to contend in 2025 behind the bats of Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler.
Note to know: The Mariners own a 29-19 record (.604 winning percentage) on Opening Day in their history, the second-best mark in MLB and the best in the AL.
MARCH 28
Rockies at Rays, 4:10 p.m. ET
SP matchup: Kyle Freeland (COL) vs. Ryan Pepiot (TB) -- Freeland will be the first Rockies pitcher to make four Opening Day starts. Meanwhile, Pepiot gets the call in place of left-hander Shane McClanahan, who suffered a left arm injury during his Spring Training start on March 22. Pepiot, 27, posted a 3.60 ERA and 142 strikeouts across 130 innings last season, his first full year in the Majors.
See this new face: After getting lackluster production from their catchers over the past two seasons, the Rays signed Danny Jansen as a free agent this winter to give them some pop behind the plate. Jansen is coming off a down 2024 campaign, but from 2022-23 with Toronto, he registered an .817 OPS and homered at least 15 times each year. Rays catchers produced a .611 OPS over the past three seasons, tied for the fourth-lowest mark at the position.
Note to know: From a new face to a new place. This will be the Rays’ first regular-season game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The Yankees’ Spring Training complex will be the Rays’ home ballpark for the 2025 season after Tropicana Field sustained significant damage during Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9.
