And MLB announced another wrinkle Thursday night, with the expansion to a 16-team playoff field for 2020. Most Opening Day home runs: 8 (tie)Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank RobinsonRobinson spread his homers out across four teams, homering in season openers for the Reds, Orioles, Angels and Indians. He was, of course, terrific in those openers -- Seaver went 7-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 81 strikeouts, second-most all-time. Ordinarily, any reaction emanating from Opening Day is, in all likelihood, an overreaction. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Soroka, who had the NL’s lowest home run rate last year, will have to contend with slugger Pete Alonso, who is fresh off setting MLB’s rookie home run record (53). ET, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. 1 in history ahead of Ty Cobb. Verdict: A mild overreaction, but we’ll allow it. The only run he allowed? After a successful 2019 campaign with the Rays—where he notched a 3.05 ERA—Morton struggled to find a rhythm to start his second year with the team. Book it. Boston will play its first Opening Day without Mookie Betts since 2015, but the Red Sox have no shortage of firepower in a lineup that features Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and J.D. That’s one of many Opening Day victories for Baltimore, which owns the third-best record all-time in openers (.593), although its eight-game win streak ended last year against the Yankees. Well, objectively and indisputably, yes. It has been nearly two years since Mike Elias, Brandon Hyde and Co. came over and began revamping the franchise, from. But he did exactly what we needed him to do. Charlie Hustle notched 31 base knocks in season openers, including three-hit games in 1974, '76 and '81, as well as eight other multihit games. The Astros, who fell just short in Game 7 of last year’s Fall Classic, will try to finish the job this year after a tumultuous offseason and bring new manager Dusty Baker that elusive World Series ring in his “last hurrah.” For the Mariners, playing Opening Day stateside is a change from a year ago -- remember, they kicked off the 2019 season in Japan (Ichiro’s sendoff series). His day also included four hits and two big flies in a 15-2 Cubs romp. So smooth you need to see it twice MORE>, Twins at White Sox (8:10 p.m.): The Bomba Squad is back after setting the MLB single-season home run record with 307 last year (beating the Yankees by one). 2020 MLB Season; More 2020 MLB Pages. Both teams also have first-time Opening Day starters in this one, with Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks taking on Christian Yelich and company, and Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff facing off against Javier Báez and the rest of the Cubs’ big bats. Let’s go with Hays, who is going to get a long look in center field and at the top of the lineup. With only 60 games to be played, the 2020 MLB season is sure to be a sprint. Full Site Menu. Find out more. ET, ESPN, Detroit Tigers at Cincinnati Reds, 6:10 p.m. The Royals, in manager Mike Matheny’s team debut, will start Danny Duffy on the mound for the third time over the past four season openers. The 2020 MLB season is now officially underway -- at least for four of the 30 teams. Ordinarily, any reaction emanating from Opening Day is, in all likelihood, an overreaction. The Braves will counter with 22-year-old Mike Soroka, who will be the franchise’s youngest Opening Day starter since 1878. All of The Kid's Opening Day homers came for the Mariners, including two on Opening Day 1997 against the Yankees. ET, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics, 10:10 p.m. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Batting. MORE>, Pirates at Cardinals (8:15 p.m.): Jack Flaherty just pitched one of the best second halves of all time in 2019 -- his 0.91 ERA after the All-Star break was the third-lowest ever for a qualified pitcher. Most Opening Day strikeouts: Randy Johnson, 107It's entirely unsurprising that one of the most fearsome strikeout artists of all time would top the list of Opening Day strikeouts. But now every game is one out of 60 (or, if you prefer, 2.7 out of 162). But there is no reason he can’t make an outsize impact, especially given the lack of established sluggers on the O’s roster. How much does MLB game action factor into that equation, and for whom? He could be in Baltimore by Aug. 1, by which point service-time rules would allow the Orioles an extra year of club control over him. Didn't get enough baseball on Thursday? -- @HouseMavericks. The Red Sox took the field on Friday just days after Mookie Betts signed a massive 12-year deal with his new team, the Dodgers. Is there harm in calling him up in September? They open at home on July 29 against the Marlins, a rare Interleague opponent, and play two series against the Interleague regional rivals in Washington (Aug. 7-9, Aug. 14-16). Fielding. The Marlins will be trying to win their opener for the first time since 2014, thereby snapping the NL’s longest Opening Day losing streak. LA comes back from down 3-1 to beat Braves in NLCS Game 7, will face Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa scores one for depth and creativity, for stubbornness and ingenuity, Ranking the 10 best teams from this century in order. It certainly helped that he also set a record by playing in 23 Opening Day games. 3 overall pick in the '98 Draft by the Cubs, matched him in 2003 for Chicago at Shea Stadium. Major League Baseball returns on Thursday, four months after the 2020 season's postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a beautiful thing to watch him do it again. Gone are Dylan Bundy and Jonathan Villar (traded), Trey Mancini (recovering from colon cancer) and Mark Trumbo (free agency). Charlie Hustle notched 31 base knocks in season openers, including three-hit games in 1974, '76 and '81, as well as eight other multihit games. (Some tweets have been edited slightly for clarity. While Betts' offensive prowess will surely be missed in the long term, he was not missed in the season opener. The Astros were not only fined $5 million, but they lost first- and second-round picks in the upcoming drafts as well as personnel, including Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch. Martinez. For that to happen, improvement will need to come from many corners of a roster the Orioles did not supplement much this winter, and without its best player, Mancini, due to reasons outside their control. Most team wins on Opening Day: Cubs, 78Since MLB began as we know it with the founding of the NL in 1876, the Cubs have more wins on Opening Day than any other franchise, including one over the Rangers last year. Or are we? Now the Cardinals’ 24-year-old ace gets his first career Opening Day start, trying to pick up where he left off as St. Louis seeks a second straight NL Central crown in 2020. The club is also hoping for steps forward from returning regulars Hanser Alberto, Rio Ruiz and Pedro Severino, and looking toward its first real wave of prospects to debut in some time, in Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, Keegan Akin and others. ET, ESPN, Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, 7:30 p.m. Dunn's eight included two multi-homer Opening Days, in 2005 and '07, for the Reds. Means is a regression candidate almost by virtue of his ascendance last season, and nobody else in the rotation mix has a recent track of dominance. "I thought he got a little bit tired there in the last inning, the sixth inning. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Los Angeles and San Francisco play again Friday night, but the day’s other 13 matchups all are of the season-opening variety. "For me it's more about the fact the team gave you the ball. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, October 19, 12:55AM. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Martinez, Kevin Pillar and Jackie Bradley Jr. all had three hits, while Jose Peraza led the team with a four-hit game. 2020 MLB schedule: Key dates for 60-game season, including Opening Day, trade deadline and more MLB's regular season is coming into focus after weeks of negotiations By R.J. Anderson He’s less polished than someone like Mountcastle or Akin, but more experienced than Rutschman and other more recent draftees. I picked the Reds to win the NL Central … back in November. That’s how much I believed in their pitching and their ability to improve what was a surprisingly disappointing offense a year ago. The truth is nobody knows when a young offense is going to gel, and we saw the seeds of what could be a really fun Blue Jays offense Friday in the first of 60 games that are, for all intents and purposes, road dates. ET, Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays, 6:40 p.m. A Cavan CRUSH MLB Opening Day 2020 is July 23, 2020. -- @cara_jeffrey. Nathan Eovaldi notched his first career opening day start, giving up just one run and five hits over six … Many thanks to him. Throw in a first-of-its kind postseason format in which Cole would, presumably, have the ball in his hand in Game 1 of a best-of-three opening round, and you’d struggle to invent a more pressure-packed position for a pro athlete to be in. Team MVP will be ...With Mancini out, the possibilities are wide open. Long-term goals remain a priority, but progress can still be plain to see. I feel alive. What: MLB 2020 Opening Day Date: Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24 Time: Thursday: 7:00 p.m. Nola will become the first Phillies pitcher since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay (2010-12) to start three straight openers, and he will look for support from the likes of Bryce Harper, whose five career Opening Day homers tie him with Albert Pujols for the lead among active players. Most Opening Day home runs: 3 (tie)Matt Davidson (2018), Dmitri Young (2005), Tuffy Rhodes (1994) and George Bell (1988)Opening Day 2018 was memorable for a lot of reasons, and one of them was Davidson's three-homer game for the White Sox, which tied the Opening Day record (and started a season-long crushing of the Royals by Davidson). The 2020 MLB season is now officially underway -- at least for four of the 30 teams. I gave up six runs.". Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Their good day kept on rolling when they bested the Rays 6-4 in their season opener. Big question: Which prospects will get the chance to debut?The most important thing about 2020 for the Orioles as an organization will be salvaging enough development time lost to COVID-19 for as many prospects as possible. So he may have benefited from some batted-ball luck that could level off in time. ET, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 7:10 p.m. The NL Cy Young runner up allowed three runs on four hits, while walking three and fanning four.