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The 2025 Major League Baseball season is here, and MLB Opening Day kicks into high gear today, Thursday, March 27, 2025, with 14 games across North America. While the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs already launched the season in Japan, the rest of the league joins the party now. From schedules to standout matchups, here’s everything we know so far about MLB Opening Day 2025 as baseball fans gear up for another 162-game marathon.
MLB Opening Day 2025 schedule and Tokyo Series start
The 2025 MLB season technically began on March 18-19 with the Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome, where the defending champion Dodgers swept the Cubs 4-1 and 6-3. Shohei Ohtani’s first homer as a Dodger highlighted Game 2, per MLB.com, marking the sixth time MLB has opened in Japan. Today, March 27, 26 of 30 teams hit the field for the traditional MLB Opening Day—the earliest in league history—starting at 3:05 p.m. ET with the Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees. The full slate includes:
- Orioles at Blue Jays (3:07 p.m. ET)
- Phillies at Nationals (4:05 p.m. ET)
- Red Sox at Rangers (4:05 p.m. ET)
- Giants at Reds, Guardians at Royals, Pirates at Marlins, Braves at Padres, Mets at Astros, Angels at White Sox (all 4:10 p.m. ET)
- Twins at Cardinals (4:15 p.m. ET)
- Cubs at Diamondbacks, Athletics at Mariners (10:10 p.m. ET)
- Tigers at Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET)
The Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies wait until tomorrow, March 28, at 4:10 p.m. ET, delayed by preparations at George M. Steinbrenner Field—Rays’ temporary home after Hurricane Milton wrecked Tropicana Field (FOX Sports).
Key matchups and pitchers for MLB Opening Day
MLB Opening Day 2025 features marquee starters and intriguing storylines. The Dodgers-Tigers clash pits AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal against LA’s title defense, airing on ESPN at 10:10 p.m. ET. Brewers-Yankees, at 3:05 p.m. ET on ESPN, showcases New York’s revamped roster with Juan Soto’s Mets move still fresh in fans’ minds. Confirmed pitchers include:
- Freddy Peralta (Brewers) vs. TBD (Yankees)
- Zack Wheeler (Phillies) vs. MacKenzie Gore (Nationals)
- Chris Sale (Braves) vs. Michael King (Padres)
- Pablo López (Twins) vs. Sonny Gray (Cardinals)
- Justin Steele (Cubs) vs. Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks)
- Luis Severino (Athletics) vs. Logan Gilbert (Mariners)
- Blake Snell (Dodgers) vs. Skubal (Tigers)
Per MLB.com, these hurlers—many All-Stars—set the tone, with new faces like Severino (now with Oakland) debuting for their clubs. X posts note the buzz around Soto’s absence and Ohtani’s Japan splash.
How to watch MLB Opening Day 2025
Most MLB Opening Day games air on regional sports networks (RSNs), but ESPN nabbed two national broadcasts: Brewers-Yankees and Tigers-Dodgers. MLB.TV streams out-of-market games with blackout rules, while FOX Sports covered the Tokyo Series opener (FS1 took Game 2). Streaming options like DIRECTV carry RSNs, and ESPN+ offers select games, per Yahoo Sports. The Rays-Rockies Friday tilt will likely follow suit on RSNs, though Tropicana’s damage adds a twist—Steinbrenner Field’s prep pushed it back a day.
What’s new for the 2025 season
The 2025 MLB season tweaks the schedule: prime interleague rivals (e.g., Mets-Yankees) now play six games, up from four, with “Rivalry Weekend” set for May 16-18 (MLB.com). The Athletics, sans Oakland, play in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park before their Las Vegas move, while the Rays adapt to Steinbrenner Field. The All-Star Game hits Truist Park on July 15, hosted by the Braves. X sentiment flags excitement for these shifts, though some fans lament Thursday’s dense 3 p.m. ET start cluster—26 teams in action within an hour—calling it a marketing misstep.
What we’re still waiting on
As of 4:16 AM PDT today, some Opening Day starters remain TBD (e.g., Yankees, Astros), per FOX Sports’ updates. Rosters finalized late yesterday, March 26, with cuts and surprises—like the Athletics’ young core—still settling. The season ends September 28, but today’s focus is the first pitch. Will the Dodgers repeat? Can the Cubs rebound? MLB Opening Day 2025 starts the journey—play ball!