The ultimate guide to every 2026 Opening Day matchup

10:01 PM UTC

Opening Day has arrived.

After an exhilarating World Baseball Classic got the juices flowing, we’re now ready to embark on a 162-game season, which begins on Wednesday when the Giants and Yankees face off at San Francisco’s Oracle Park at 8:05 p.m. ET. Following that will be an 11-game slate on Thursday, which is highlighted by the Mets hosting Paul Skenes and the Pirates, the Dodgers beginning their journey toward a three-peat versus the D-backs, and the Mariners taking on the Guardians in a battle of 2025 division winners in Seattle.

On Friday, the remaining six teams will play their first game, including the American League champion Blue Jays taking on the slugging A's.

2026 Opening Night presented by Adobe on Netflix
• Yankees vs. Giants, Wednesday March 25, 8 p.m. ET
• Set a Netflix reminder to watch the game

With all of that in mind, let's get ready for one of the most highly anticipated days on the baseball calendar. Here is a guide to the 15 season openers, listed in order of start time (all times ET). Every game is available live on MLB.TV (local and national blackout restrictions apply).

MARCH 25

Yankees at Giants, 8:05 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (NYY) vs. (SF) -- Fried will start his fourth career Opening Day but his first with the Yankees. Fried continues a trend of a different Yankee starting in four straight seasons (, 2025; , 2024; , 2023). Webb, meanwhile, will make his fifth straight Opening Day start, trailing only Juan Marichal (six) for the most consecutive season-opening starts in Giants franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

See this new face: Fresh off of helping Venezuela win its first WBC title, will embark on his first season with the Giants. The three-time batting champion owns a career .317 batting average and will be on his fourth team in five years. was another key offseason acquisition for the Giants and will handle center field duties. The Yankees, meanwhile, are bringing back much of their 2025 roster.

Note to know: In three career games at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, has homered three times and recorded six hits in 10 at-bats. Judge grew up in nearby Linden (fewer than 100 miles away) and was heavily rumored to potentially sign with the Giants during the 2022-23 offseason before ultimately returning to the Yankees.

MARCH 26

Pirates at Mets, 1:15 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (PIT) vs. (NYM) -- Skenes will make his second Opening Day start after winning the 2025 NL Cy Young Award and helping Team USA to a second-place finish in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This will be Peralta’s third straight Opening Day start and his first with the Mets after the trade that sent him from Milwaukee to New York.

See this new face: The Mets were one of baseball’s most active teams this offseason, parting with franchise stalwarts such as , and , while bringing in Peralta, , , , , and more. The Pirates, traditionally not a big player in free agency or trades, were also active by trading for All-Star second baseman and signing 1B/OF .

Note to know: Skenes led the Majors with a 1.97 ERA last season, while Peralta paced all NL pitchers with 17 wins. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs and Elias, this is the fifth Opening Day SP matchup between a league’s reigning ERA leader & that league’s reigning wins leader (including ties) in the Expansion Era (since 1961). It last happened between and in 2019.

White Sox at Brewers, 1:15 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (CWS) vs. (MIL) -- In something of a full circle moment, Smith will make his first career Opening Day start against the team that originally signed him. Smith was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Brewers in 2021, but he was selected as the first pick in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft by the White Sox after the right-hander was left unprotected by Milwaukee. Misiorowski was a 2025 rookie sensation and, at 23 years and 357 days old come Opening Day, will be the third-youngest Brewers pitcher to get this assignment. Only Ben Sheets (2002) and Bill Parsons (1972) were younger when they started Milwaukee’s opener.

See this new face: After eight seasons and 265 career home runs in Japan, signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox over the offseason. The slugging lefty figures to fit in the middle of the White Sox lineup as a potential building block for an improved MLB roster.

Note to know: Last year, became the youngest player with multiple 20-homer, 20-steal seasons. If Chourio can reach 20 homers and steals again this season, he’d join Ryan Braun (four times) as the only Brewers with three or more 20-20 seasons.

Nationals at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (WSH) vs. (CHC) -- It’s been quite the journey for Cavalli, who returned to the Majors last season after missing roughly three years due to injury. He’ll make his first career Opening Day start. Boyd will make his third career Opening Day start and his first with the Cubs after becoming a first-time All-Star last season.

See this new face: After spending his first nine seasons with the Astros, will play for his third team in as many years. Bregman had a successful one-year stint with the Red Sox in 2025, posting an .822 OPS in 114 games and being selected to the All-Star Game. The veteran third baseman signed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Cubs over the offseason.

Note to know: These clubs last faced off on Opening Day in 2012, when the Nationals scored two late runs for a comeback 2-1 win at Wrigley Field.

Twins at Orioles, 3:05 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (MIN) vs. (BAL) -- Ryan will start his second career Opening Day but his first since 2022 after Pablo López -- who will miss all of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery -- started three straight years from 2023-25. For Rogers, a calendar year makes a big difference, as he began the 2025 season in the Minors before breaking out with a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts with Baltimore. It’s the first career Opening Day nod for Rogers.

See this new face: Pete Alonso crushed a Mets record 264 home runs in seven seasons in New York, but he’ll enter the year with a new club after signing a five-year deal with the Orioles. , another right-handed power bat, was acquired from the Angels over the offseason and will give the O’s even more thump.

Note to know: This will be the ninth time these clubs have faced off on Opening Day, with the Orioles winning each of the past three matchups.

Red Sox at Reds, 4:10 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (BOS) vs. (CIN) -- This will be Crochet’s third straight Opening Day start and his second with the Red Sox. He will be the fourth pitcher to start Opening Day in each of his first two seasons with the Red Sox and the first since 1998-99 Pedro Martínez, who did so in all seven seasons with Boston. With Hunter Greene out until at least July, Abbott will get the nod for his first Opening Day start.

See this new face: There will be plenty of new faces with the Red Sox, whether it’s position players ( and ) or pitchers ( and ). Those additions were necessary for a Boston club that lost Alex Bregman in free agency to the Cubs.

Note to know: Contreras is no stranger to playing in Great American Ball Park, having spent his first 10 MLB seasons in the NL Central. In 53 career games in Cincinnati, Contreras has homered 12 times, his most home runs at any park outside of Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium, which were his Major League homes until he was traded to the Red Sox.

Angels at Astros, 4:10 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (LAA) vs. (HOU) -- Soriano will draw his first Opening Day nod after setting career highs in starts (31), innings (169) and WAR (3.0, per FanGraphs) last season. After finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting last season, Brown will get his first shot at Opening Day, which was also helped by ’s departure in free agency.

See this new face: The Astros are bringing back most of their lineup from 2025, but they’ll see plenty of change in a rotation with newcomers , and . The Angels revamped most of their bullpen, acquiring veterans , , and .

Note to know: has homered four times on Opening Day; only four active players have more Opening Day dingers. Trout, however, has struggled in his career at Houston’s Daikin Park, posting a .747 OPS in 77 games, his worst mark among any ballpark where he’s appeared in at least 10 games.

Tigers at Padres, 4:10 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (DET) vs. TBA (SD) -- Skubal got the Opening Day assignment in 2024 and ‘25 and proceeded to win the AL Cy Young Award both years. Could he do so again in 2026? The Tigers’ ace is entering his final year of club control and could be primed for yet another.

See this new face: Framber Valdez signed with the Tigers and represents a formidable No. 2 starter behind Skubal, while the Tigers also brought back franchise legend . Top prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 prospect) could also crack the Opening Day roster as one of Detroit’s best position-player prospects in recent memory.

Note to know: The Padres ripped off seven straight wins to begin their season at Petco Park last year, sweeping the Braves in four games and the Guardians in three games. Petco Park treated the Padres well in 2025, as they went 52-29, tied for the third-best home record in the Majors.

Rays at Cardinals, 4:15 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (TB) vs. (STL) -- This will be the first Opening Day start for both Rasmussen and Liberatore. Since Chris Archer started four straight Rays Opening Day games from 2015-18, Rasmussen will represent the seventh Rays pitcher to start Opening Day in an eight-year span. Liberatore will become the first Cardinals left-hander to start on Opening Day since Donovan Osborne in 1999.

See this new face: All eyes will be on , the Cardinals’ top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 prospect. For a Cardinals club entering something of a retooling phase, Wetherholt is arguably the most important player for the foreseeable future.

Note to know: slugged 45 home runs last season, trailing only five players in the Majors. He became just the second Rays player with a 40-homer season, joining 2007 Carlos Peña, and Caminero very much has the pop to reach that mark again.

Rangers at Phillies, 4:15 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (TEX) vs. (PHI) -- This will be Eovaldi’s sixth career Opening Day start and his third straight start for the Rangers. Sánchez gets the call for the Phillies for the first time in his career after the lefty dominated to a second-place NL Cy Young Award finish in 2025. Sánchez is the first Latino to start Opening Day for the Phillies since Omar Daal in 2001.

See this new face: Neither team was particularly active over the offseason, but the Rangers made the most of their moves, swinging a deal for Brandon Nimmo (in exchange for ) and acquiring left-handed ace . The Phillies were even less active, but the club did sign as a potential bounce-back candidate after he was non-tendered by the Rangers.

Note to know: has homered six times in the season’s first game, tied for the seventh-most Opening Day home runs and tied with for the most among active players.

D-backs at Dodgers, 8:30 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (AZ) vs. (LAD) -- Gallen will draw his fourth straight Opening Day start after he re-signed with Arizona over the offseason. Gallen’s four Opening Day starts are tied with Brandon Webb for the second-most such starts by a D-backs pitcher (Randy Johnson is first with six starts). Yamamoto will get the call for the second straight season, a year after the right-hander finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting and was a postseason hero.

See this new face: and Edwin Díaz joined the Dodgers in free agency over the offseason, putting Los Angeles in an even better position to win a third straight World Series. , who played his first eight seasons with the Rockies, returns to the NL West after he was traded from the Cardinals to the D-backs this offseason.

Note to know: According to Langs and Elias, Yamamoto will be the sixth pitcher in the Divisional Era (since 1969) to get the final out of a World Series and then start Opening Day the following year, joining:

2018-19 Chris Sale
2014-15 Madison Bumgarner
2003-04 Josh Beckett
1983-84 Scott McGregor
1977-78 Mike Torrez (changed teams)

Guardians at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (CLE) vs. (SEA) -- Gilbert gets the nod for a second straight Opening Day, no small feat in a rotation that features names like , and Luis Castillo. Bibee was originally scheduled to be Cleveland’s Opening Day starter last season, but he was scratched hours before first pitch due to an illness. Now he gets a second chance at making his first such start.

See this new face: With neither club being very active over the offseason, is easily the most noticeable new name on either team. Donovan was just one of many prominent Cardinals players on the move, and he’ll fit in at the top of a Mariners lineup that should be one of the best in baseball again.

Note to know: These clubs met on Opening Day in 2023, when the Mariners won 3-0 in Seattle.

MARCH 27

Athletics at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (ATH) vs. (TOR) -- Severino will make his second straight Opening Day start with the A’s and the third of his career. Gausman will start his third career Opening Day but his first with the Blue Jays. He started in 2017 for the Orioles and in 2021 for the Giants.

See this new face: The Blue Jays were two outs away from winning the World Series last year and didn’t hide their intention to finish the job in 2026, signing , , and . For the A’s, their biggest acquisition was trading for long-time Met .

Note to know: This will be the first time these clubs face off on Opening Day since 1995-96. The Blue Jays won 13-1 in 1995 in Toronto and 9-6 in 1996 in Oakland.

Rockies at Marlins, 7:10 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (COL) vs. (MIA) -- Freeland and Alcantara will each extend their own franchise records by making their fifth and sixth Opening Day starts, respectively. Both also had relatively triumphant openers in 2025, as Alcantara made his quick return from Tommy John surgery against the Pirates (4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K's) and Freeland bounced back from a brutal 10-run outing against the D-backs in 2024 with six scoreless against the Rays.

See this new face: The Marlins will likely have their new No. 3 prospect, -- acquired via trade from the Cubs in January -- in the outfield to start the year, hot on the heels of his fantastic showing for Team Canada in this year's World Baseball Classic (.412/.476/.765, one HR, 5 RBIs).

Note to know: The Marlins broke a four-year Opening Day losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Pirates in 2025. However, they still have the second-worst Opening Day record in AL/NL history (13-20, .394 winning percentage).

Royals at Braves, 7:15 p.m. ET

SP matchup: (KC) vs. (ATL) -- Although a left rotator cuff strain cost Ragans his entire second half in 2025, he'll make his third straight Opening Day start for the Royals, becoming the first pitcher to do so for Kansas City in nearly 20 years (Gil Meche, 2007-09). Sale, the old hand, is receiving Opening Day honors for the seventh time in his illustrious career and for the second time as a member of the Braves.

See this new face: Neither team made major changes over the winter, but expect to get a first look at new Royals outfielder , who played just 39 games due to injury in 2025 but hit 28 home runs two years ago for the Nationals. Unlikely to start against the left-handed Ragans, a potential option off the bench is , who signed a two-year, $23 million deal with the Braves in December following an impressive 50-game run with these same Royals in 2025 (.839 OPS, 131 OPS+).

Note to know: New WBC champions and -- who are also cousins, by the way -- although no longer teammates, have a shared flair for a strong opening. Garcia hit a leadoff home run on his first Opening Day in 2024, and although Acuña didn't make his season debut until May 23, he also hit a leadoff home run in his first plate appearance of 2025.