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Major League Baseball will kick off its new regular season on Thursday April 1. The opening roster will begin just after 1 p.m. ET, with the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the New York Yankees in an American League East battle. Each team is scheduled to play on Thursday, and the action is set to extend beyond 1 a.m. on the East Coast thanks to a late-night role that includes competitions between the Chicago White Sox and Los Angels. Angeles and between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics. .
The off season has been long and at times eventful. As such, at CBS Sports we have decided that anyone can take a refresher course on what happened during the winter. Our method of providing one is to highlight five things worth watching on opening day, ranging from returning crowds to the best pitch clashes on the register. But first, let’s take a look at the games list:
Opening day schedule
(Every US / East hour)
- Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m., fuboTV (Domestic)
- Cleveland at Detroit Tigers, 1:10 p.m.
- Minnesota Twins at Milwaukee Brewers, 2:10 p.m.
- Baltimore Orioles at the Boston Red Sox, 2:10 p.m., fuboTV (Regional)
- Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m., fuboTV (regional)
- Atlanta Braves at the Philadelphia Phillies, 3:05 p.m., fuboTV (Regional)
- Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, 4:10 p.m.
- Texas Rangers at the Kansas City Royals, 4:10 p.m.
- Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, 4:10 p.m., fuboTV (Domestic)
- St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds, 4:10 p.m.
- Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins, 4:10 p.m.
- New York Mets at the Washington Nationals, 7:09 p.m., fuboTV (Domestic)
- Chicago White Sox at the Los Angeles Angels, 10:05 p.m., fuboTV (Domestic)
- Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics, 10:07 p.m., fuboTV (regional)
- San Francisco Giants at the Seattle Mariners, 10:10 p.m., fuboTV (regional)
You can find all five items below, listed in no particular order.
1. Getting closer to normality
Let’s face it, opening day last season didn’t feel like opening day. This year may not be either, but it is a step in that direction.
Each team is expected to play one regular season, or 162 games. They will play in front of the crowds, as fans will be allowed to return to the stands for the first time in the regular season since 2019, mostly at abilities that allow for social distancing. (The Texas Rangers, who recklessly plan to have a full hall for their home opener, are on the road.) Additionally, many rule changes from last year, such as Universal DH and the extended playoffs, were wiped out, barring a last-minute deal between MLB and the Players Association.
It won’t be quite like the pre-COVID era, but it will look more like these days than it was last summer – and that should be positive.
2. Lindor and Arenado lead old faces to new places
One of the perks of opening day is seeing players who changed teams in the offseason for the first time in their new gear. (We are not counting the spring training threads that many teams wear during show season.)
Winter’s best free agent George Springer could be barred from making his debut with an oblique injury. That’s okay, there are plenty of other stars in new places including Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals), and both Yu Darvish and Blake Snell (San Diego Padres) ). Not to mention reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer (Los Angeles Dodgers), or countless others who will rely on Google Maps to get them to their new places of work.
Lindor will make his Mets debut after completing a contract extension at the 11th hour. Lindor, who has set a deadline for the opening day of contract negotiations, reportedly signed a 10-year contract worth $ 341 million on Wednesday evening.
3.deGrom-Scherzer leads the pitch matches
Maybe your team doesn’t play until late, or maybe you’re one of those fans who just want to watch the best pitching game available at any given time of day. Which games should you check out?
Our Mike Axisa recently ranked the 15 pitching games of the day, crowning the pair Jacob deGrom-Max Scherzer (starting at 7:09 p.m. ET) as best-in-class. As for the best potential duels at other start times: Gerrit Cole vs. Hyun-jin Ryu starts at 1:05 pm ET; Jack Flaherty and Luis Castillo at 4:10 p.m. ET; and Lucas Giolito and Dylan Bundy at 10:05 p.m. ET.
You can see the rest of Axisa’s ranking by clicking here.
4. Dodgers remain World Series favorites
The last time we saw a meaningful MLB game it ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers lifting the Championship trophy. After a winter that saw them sign Trevor Bauer, the defending National League Cy Young Award winner, it’s fair to ask: are the Dodgers ready to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees 1998-2000 ?
The Dodgers appear to be the team most likely to win the World Series in 2021. SportsLine projects them to have 111 wins and give them a 99.9% chance of winning the playoffs. The improved San Diego Padres, seemingly the Dodgers’ toughest threat in the West, are expected to win 89 games, by comparison.
It’s music to the ears of Dodgers fans, but what about everyone? Take comfort in the words of our Dayn Perry, who explained why you should bet on the field.
5. Vaughn, India among the recruits to watch
The pandemic season has taken its toll on everything baseball-related and otherwise, including eligibility standards for the Rookie of the Year award. As a result, individuals like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Ian Anderson and Sixto Sanchez – who each played an important role for their respective teams last season – are once again eligible to be considered.
If somehow you’re already bored with these players and want to get a glimpse of the next wave of youngsters, then Opening Day should always have something for you.
Namely, a pair of former top five picks will likely debut in their teams’ opening day contests. Andrew Vaughn may not start the game in left field for the Chicago White Sox, but it’s easy to imagine him moving into designated hitter, or perhaps getting high leverage at bat. like a pinched hitter. Jonathan India, meanwhile, will likely get the nod at second base for the Cincinnati Reds.
Indeed, India could become the first player to debut during the 2021 season. It’s safe to say he won’t be the last.
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