Starting with seven Opening Day games on Thursday and continuing with the rest of the MLB in action on Friday, it’s time to welcome the new year to the diamond. To celebrate the return of baseball, we asked our experts to weigh what they are most excited about watching – and make a fearless prediction for Start Day. Be sure to update this page early and often for our live updates and our conclusions from each Opening Day game on Thursday and Friday. Season preview: Power ranks Forecasts Moves that shocked offseasonESPN +: Passan | How the Inauguration Day was saved Changes 2022 Play: Classic ESPN start day ESPN fantasy baseball: Sign up for free!
Schedule for Thursday
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports All times Eastern 19:05 on ESPN + (delay): Mets (Megill) at Nationals (Corbin) 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2: Reds (Mahle) at Braves (Fried) 9:38 pm: Astros (Valdez) at Angels (Ohtani) 9:40 pm: Padres (Darvish) at Diamondbacks (Bumgarner) Friday: Red Sox-Yankees, White Sox-Tigers, A’s-Philies, Orioles-Rays, Dodgers-Rockies, Mariners-Twins, Marlins-Giants and Rangers-Blue Jays
Jacques is back
Zack Greinke has been one of the best pitchers in the big league for almost two decades, and cut his teeth as a young member of the Kansas City Royals from 2004 to 2010. He is now back in his starting line-up and picking from where he left off. throwing 5⅔ innings and giving up just five hits and a run against the Cleveland Guardians on Start Day. Welcome back, Zack. # OpeningDay // #TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/6RzZboO8Y4 – Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 7, 2022
The last Dance
Superstar slugger Albert Pujols announced that 2022 will be his last season at the big companies, after signing a one-year contract with St. Louis Cardinals in March. He spent the first 11 seasons of his MLB career with the Cardinals, winning two World Series titles and three National League MVP awards. As the Pujols approached the set for his first at-bat of the season on Thursday against the visiting Pirates, his fans splashed him with applause. What applause for @PujolsFive. Chills. #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/2fDKdbPlPA – MLB (@MLB) April 7, 2022
First house of the year
Nico Hoerner, the Cubs’ youngest goalkeeper, scored the first home series of the MLB season. He broke a pitch from Brewer’s pitcher, Corbin Burns, outside the park at the bottom of the fifth period. The Dingers are back! @nico_hoerner with the first Homer of 2022! #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/Hdj49DuhIt – MLB (@MLB) April 7, 2022
First performance of the year
After three appearances, the first series of the season is on the board. Brewery player Lorenzo Kane scored first, but Andrew McCatsen managed to make it home to give the Milwaukee guests a 1-0 lead over the Camps at the top of the quarter. Lo Cain leads to Cutch for our first route and lead of the year! #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/bxxcVyxjMr – Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 7, 2022
Welcome to the championship
Calling the big ones is a great time for any baseball player. Ahead of Thursday’s Start Day, players were notified that they had made their team rosters, which created some moving moments for the teams and players. During the Chicago Cubs’s spring training game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, pitcher Ethan Roberts was notified by coach David Ross that he was on the Opening Day roster. Roberts, who was selected by the Cubs in 2018, was visibly excited after receiving the news. The Cubs’ first game of the season is against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. @ Cubs pitcher Ethan Roberts said he became the big league club. That’s what it looked like. 😭 (Via @EliseMenaker & @WatchMarquee) pic.twitter.com/B4HpgvDCLY – MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2022 Julio Rodriguez, the No. 3 nominee as ranked by ESPN, nodded for the Seattle Mariners’ Opening Day roster. He signed with the team as an international free agent in 2017. Rodriguez is scheduled to start at the center and will make his debut on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Rodriguez was full of excitement when manager Scott Service announced the news. Things got even better for the 21-year-old when he was informed that his parents would be present at his first MLB match. There is no better feeling than when you work your whole life for something and you see it unfold before your eyes.🙏🏽💙 I am just grateful for the opportunity and I will make the most of it.🤞🏽 https: // t. co / YqTeMS4j02 – Julio Rodriguez🇩🇴🦁 (@ JRODshow44) April 5, 2022 Kanas City Royals nominated Bobby Witt Jr. second in the 2019 draft at MLB. About three years later, he will make his league debut, starting from the third base for the team against the Cleveland Guardians. The 21-year-old was smiling after hearing that he entered the roster of the Opening Day of the Royals … and later recorded his first success. Or blessings! https://t.co/f7j64EV7Ya – Bobby Witt Jr (@BwittJr) April 5, 2022 Bobby has arrived! @MLB Hit No. 1 is big! #OpeningDay // #TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/jtEdB7Cz2o – Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 7, 2022 Seiya Suzuki made his MLB debut against the Brewers on Thursday. In March, he signed a five-year contract with the Cubs. Before moving to Chicago, he played in the Nippon Professional Baseball Championship in Japan, where he was a four-time All-Star and three-time Golden Glove winner. At the bottom of the fifth, Suzuki hit a ball in the left field for the first blow of his MLB career. First success @MLB for @suzuki_seiya_sb! pic.twitter.com/pAgxYuPD8a – Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 7, 2022
Wishes for Opening Day
The Atlanta Braves begin their bid to defend their World Series title against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The Georgia Bulldogs, who won the National College Football Playoffs Championship in January, wished the team good luck in their upcoming season. From one champion to another, good start day! #GoDawgs #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/sgBVEoLEt1 – Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) April 7, 2022 The Chicago Bears shouted at both the White Sox and the Cubs before their first MLB season games. 🗣️ PLAY BALL! Good luck this season, @Cubs & @whitesox! pic.twitter.com/UspXNOkTJG – Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 7, 2022
Excerpts from Thursday’s action
The Cardinals beat the Pirates 9-0: Back in the day at Busch Stadium: Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright were all in the Cardinals starting line-up for the first time since 9 September 2010. While the Cardinals Cruise In a A 9-0 win behind Wainwright’s six scoreless innings and Tyler O’Neill’s five RBIs was not the return of the Storybook to St. Louis. Louis for the Pujols that everyone wanted. “He’s back,” the Cardinals PA spokesman said during pre-game introductions, and Cardinals fans applauded the Pujols as he hugged former great Cardinals such as Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds. In his first at-bat, Pujols wiped away a few tears as fans shouted “Al-bert! Al-bert!” – echoing the happy chorus that was heard so many times during his first 11 seasons with the Cardinals. He threw out on the left field and finished 0-for-5, reaching the errors twice. Can it help the Cardinals? This is the danger of bringing back a wonderful old man of all time. If he has difficulty, he puts novice manager Ollie Marmol in a difficult position. The Pujols started this game against a right-hander – Marmol was not ready to sit him down on Start Day – but will serve primarily as a DH against left-handers. Hopefully there is enough juice left in the bat to help with this small role. – David Sonfield The Royals beat the Guardians 3-1: Before the start of today’s Open Day, the last time Zack Greinke played for the Kansas City Royals was 12 years ago and with more than 2,000 innings. As much as age changes, he can not deprive Greinke of what has always been his greatest asset, even better than fastball or slider or change: his mind. Greinke’s approach to pitching, combined with the things of his youth, made him an elite and will chart his path to the Hall of Fame. To see him on Thursday afternoon, he forms a Cleveland Guardians squad in a 3-1 victory highlighted by top contender (No. 2 on Kiley McDaniel’s top 100 list) Bobby Witt Jr’s double RBI . in the eighth period, it was to see a craftsman make art in real time. The radar gun does not light up as it once did and the blows do not oscillate and lose as before, but Greinke, through location, sequence and other trade tricks, still understands how to get out. Some lineups will prove to be more difficult to cross than others. A strikeout in 5 2/3 innings is not a long-term recipe for success, even with Kansas City’s amazing defense. And yet Greinke, now 38, left a huge round of applause on his return. The day the future of the franchise debuted, the prodigal son returned, different from before, the same as ever. –Jeff Passan The Cubs beat the Brewers 5-4: The first game of the MLB 2022 season reminded you that you never know what you’re going to see when you go on the pitch. Nico Hoerner, the Cubs’ youngest goalkeeper, scored the first home run of the 2022 season against NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. Yes, you read that right. Herner, who had not hit a big ball in two seasons, became the first player to follow a homeless year with a meal on the opening day after Emilio Bonifacio in 2009. Burns, on the other hand, made the first shot that faced. 2022, after the Brewery ace set a major league record, scoring 58 before issuing his first ball base a season ago. Yes, you can not predict baseball. In all, Burns walked three batteries in five appearances on Thursday – including a free pass to Japanese rookie Seiya Suzuki, who walked twice, made a single and scored a streak in his MLB debut. – Jesse Rogers
Opening Day predictions and what we look forward to seeing
What is the only thing that excites you most about attending Opening Day? Bradford Doolittle: I’m in Minneapolis for a Twins-Mariners series that was postponed one day due to …
