What to know about Red Sox-Reds Opening Day (Thurs., 4:10 p.m. ET)

Although Opening Day in Cincinnati is treated like a local holiday with a parade among the festivities, the Red Sox and Reds will be getting down to the business of beginning a 2026 season that comes with higher expectations.

Both clubs reached the postseason in 2025 only to be eliminated in the first round and are looking for a deeper run into the playoffs this season.

The Red Sox, who went 89-73 and finished third in the American League East before being knocked off by the Yankees in three games in the AL Wild Card Series, bolstered their pitching via free agency and trade by adding Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray and acquired Willson Contreras for more offense.

Meanwhile under likely Hall of Fame manager and former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, the Reds finished 83-79 (third in the National League Central) and clinched their playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. Then they were swept by the Dodgers in two games during the NL Wild Card Series. Cincinnati improved offensively by signing former Red Eugenio Suárez and, after re-signing closer Emilio Pagán, made bullpen upgrades that included late-inning option Pierce Johnson. The club is also counting on core players like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and rookie Sal Stewart to have big seasons.

The start of another 162-game campaign starts Thursday at Great American Ball Park.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Red Sox: Televised on NESN. The radio call is on 93.7 WEEI-FM and along the Red Sox Radio Network.

Reds: Televised on Reds.TV (check local listings) and it will be simulcast over the air for free on Fox-19. The radio call is on 700 WLW-AM and along the Reds Radio Network.

All out-of-market games are available live or on demand in the US on MLB.TV (subject to blackouts and other restrictions). Live games are also available in select countries outside the US. A full list of available games can be found here.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Red Sox: LHP Garrett Crochet (18-5, 2.59 ERA in ‘25)

The 26-year-old lefty appears set to be next in the pantheon of aces that have stood out for the Red Sox over the last several decades, a distinguished group that includes Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Jon Lester and Chris Sale. Aptly named “Beast” by his teammates, Crochet is a fierce competitor who gained some national attention in Game 1 of last year’s AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium when he willed his team to a 3-1 win by walking none and punching out 11 over 7 2/3 innings and 117 pitches.

Crochet’s Baseball Savant page is filled with “red” as he rated in the upper echelon in numerous categories last season. His pitching run value and breaking run value both had him in the 99th percentile. In his second season as a starter, Crochet was pleased to log 205 1/3 innings after his previous year in Chicago when his workload was managed carefully. Even after his breakout season, Crochet is determined to make sure he, at the very least, maintains that level.

“Yeah, consistency, I think you said it best right there,” Crochet said. “The great thing about our spot and the rough side of it is that one year doesn’t make you a good player. I think that you’ve got to come in, earn your stripes every year. The success that I had last year will make teams game plan a little bit for me in certain aspects, whether it be pitch usage or specific counts, and I've got to be ready to combat that.”

Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (10-7, 2.87 ERA in '25)

This will be the first time that Abbott gets the ball on Opening Day and it's a deserved honor after the year he put together last season. The 26-year-old, who is entering his fourth big league season, was a first-time All-Star in 2025.

Abbott has a four-pitch mix and knows how to locate in all quadrants around the strike zone. In 17 of his 29 2025 starts, he surrendered fewer than two earned runs. His 2026 Spring Training has seen him get hit hard at times while working on mechanical adjustments, but the club will obviously be hoping the left-hander can turn the switch on Day 1 of the regular season.

There isn't much of a track record vs. the Red Sox, who Abbott has only faced once. On June 21, 2024, he was the winning pitcher in a 5-2 Reds victory at GABP. He allowed two earned runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

• Red Sox-Reds Opening Day starters: Crochet vs. Abbott

What might the starting lineups look like?

Red Sox: Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow started the winter looking for a big power bat, but wasn’t able to get one, so he surrounded his emerging young core with a solid professional hitter in Contreras, and an underrated scrapper in Caleb Durbin. Roman Anthony could be on the verge of superstardom at 21 years old. With Francona throwing lefties in the first two games, Marcelo Mayer – who won the second base job – might not get his first start until the series finale.

1. Roman Anthony, LF
2. Trevor Story, SS
3. Willson Contreras, 1B
4. Jarren Duran, DH
5. Caleb Durbin, 3B
6. Wilyer Abreu, RF
7. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 2B
9. Carlos Narváez, C

Reds: The Reds expect their daily lineup to be better than 2025, which struggled often to score runs and excel in situational hitting. Having Suárez, who hit 49 home runs last season, batting behind Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart should offer more protection and create added RBI chances for Suárez.

1. TJ Friedl, CF
2. Matt McLain, 2B
3. Elly De La Cruz, SS
4. Sal Stewart, 1B
5. Eugenio Suárez, DH
6. Spencer Steer, LF
7. Tyler Stephenson, C
8. Noelvi Marte, RF
9. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Red Sox: Lefty Aroldis Chapman, who started his reign of dominance with the Reds, is coming off a career year as he enters his age-38 season. Garrett Whitlock returns as the ace setup man. Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert and Zack Kelly will also draw leverage assignments.

Reds: Pagán, who notched 32 saves after stepping into the role early last season, will be in the back of the bullpen waiting for his chance. Bridging between the starter and closer will be late-inning setup men Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and Johnson and lefty Brock Burke, another offseason acquisition.

Any injuries of note?

Red Sox: The big injury loss to start the season is Romy Gonzalez, who will miss at least a couple of months following left shoulder surgery. Gonzalez is Boston’s resident right-handed hitting masher against lefties. First baseman Triston Casas starts the season on the injured list as he continues to recover from a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee. Starters Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will start their seasons late as they continue to build up after missing all of last season due to injury.

Reds: The biggest absence is starting pitcher Hunter Greene, the two-time Opening Day starter who is out until July after having bone chips removed from his right elbow by arthroscopic surgery. Nick Lodolo came down with a blister two batters into his final spring start. Also out for a few weeks is lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson, who has an oblique strain.

Who is hot and who is not?

Red Sox: Duran is looking to get back to his form of two years ago, and he scalded the ball throughout Spring Training. Rafaela’s goal is to be more consistent in his third full season, and he swung a hot bat during camp. Though Abreu and Anthony didn’t put up big numbers in Spring Training, they had multiple game-turning homers during the World Baseball Classic.

Reds: No one in baseball this spring was hotter than McLain, who led or co-led MLB in nearly every major offensive category with seven homers while batting .529 with a 1.591 OPS. On the other end, Stephenson was 7-for-38 (.184) with one homer during spring.

Anything else fans might want to know?

• The 107th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade will feature broadcaster and former reliever Jeff Brantley as the grand marshal.

• Gates at GABP will open at 2:10, with pregame festivities commencing at 3:30. Former Reds and Red Sox starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo is scheduled to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Dave Concepción, Reds Hall of Famer and member of the Big Red Machine, will serve as the game's honorary captain.

• After losing his first five openers as manager of the Red Sox, Alex Cora has won the last two.

• While Anthony certainly had an impressive rookie season before an oblique injury ended it a month early, this will be his first Opening Day in a Major League uniform.