While Opening Night on Wednesday will mark the start of a new MLB season, baseball has been in full swing for a while now. 2025 free agency saw the likes of Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, and Kyle Tucker find new homes.
Spring Training kicked off in February, and brought numerous fun storylines to follow. On day one, Yankees’ prospect Carlos LaGrange struck out his four-time MVP teammate Aaron Judge on a 102.6 MPH fastball in live batting practice. A week later, Rockies outfielder Zac Veen hit the first two walk-off home runs of Spring Training, 468 and 447 feet respectively.
Baseball fans were treated to a special display of baseball, as the 2026 World Baseball Classic took center stage on March 5. The powerhouses, Japan, USA, and the Dominican Republic, put on a show early. However, underdog Venezuela took over down the stretch, upsetting Japan and the United States en route to winning the tournament. The Royals’ Maikel Garcia won Tournament MVP, after collecting a tournament-leading 10 hits.
In the offseason, several teams got straight to work after watching the Dodgers win their second straight World Series title. The big market clubs in Toronto, New York, and Philadelphia were active, but a surprising mid-market team made a ton of noise early. The Baltimore Orioles, coming off a disappointing 75-87 season, had arguably the best offseason of any team. The O’s signed the aforementioned Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract in December, setting a competitive tone for the franchise in 2026. They also brought in key starter Chris Bassitt and flamethrowing closer Ryan Helsley to bolster their thin pitching staff.
It was a busy winter up in the Toronto Blue Jays’ front office as well. The reigning AL champions sent a clear message that their 2025 playoff run wasn’t a one-time thing. Toronto brought in the first big fish of the offseason, signing starter Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal in November. They also added an international piece in Cody Ponce from the Korean league (KBO) to finalize a strong pitching staff.
The back-to-back World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, look as good as ever following another successful offseason. Considered the biggest fish of the free agent pool, Kyle Tucker signed with the Dodgers unexpectedly in January. If that wasn’t enough, they bolstered their relatively average bullpen with Edwin Diaz, a three-time All-Star closer.
New to the MLB, the 2026 season will kick off on Wednesday night with a special “Opening Night” game between the Giants and Yankees. The more iconic Opening Day will commence the following day on Thursday, with 22 teams in action throughout the day.
The reigning NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes will start for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Mets to kick things off at 10:15 AM in Queens. Meanwhile, the back-to-back AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal will head out to face San Diego with Detroit at 1:10 PM. The reigning-champion LA Dodgers will host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 5:30, and the Seattle Mariners will conclude the day with a matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. Other notable matchups include new Phillie Adolis Garcia facing his old club, the Texas Rangers, on day 1, and 2025 playoff teams Cincinnati and Boston squaring off at Great American Ballpark.
Opening Day is always a spectacle of excitement, as the return of baseball is celebrated nationwide. However, technically, Opening Day is a day for superstar pitching. All 22 teams in action line up their best starter, and the game’s best all pitch on the same day. Baseball’s favorite holiday is always thrilling, but often doesn’t feature a whole ton of offense right away.
Opening Day is considered by some to be the one day of the year where fans of every team have hope. While that may not be true in some regards, the day is celebrated through that spirit. Ballparks are packed everywhere, and the enthusiasm is through the roof.