What Day Is Opening Day For Major League Baseball?
Contents
Find out when Opening Day for the 2019 Major League Baseball season is. Get a schedule of all the teams and their first games.
Introduction
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest professional sports league in the United States and Canada, and is widely considered to be the most important baseball league in the world. Opening Day is when each team plays their first game of the season.
For many fans, Opening Day is the most important day of the year. It signals the start of a new season and a fresh start for their favorite team. Some fans even plan their vacations around Opening Day so they can attend games.
MLB teams play 162 games in total over six months, from April to October. The regular season is followed by the postseason, which includes the playoffs and the World Series.
Opening Day by League
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams play in the National League (NL) and American League (AL), with 15 teams in each league. The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901, respectively. Opening day is the day on which the regular season of Major League Baseball begins.
American League
The American League will open its season on Thursday, March 28, with a four-game slate that includes a world championship rematch between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros will host the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park in Houston, with first pitch set for 8:09 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
In addition to the marquee matchup between the Astros and Dodgers, the AL schedule on Opening Day also features a meeting of last year’s ALCS participants as the New York Yankees visit the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. That game is set for 4:05 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The rest of the AL slate on Opening Day has the Minnesota Twins hosting the Baltimore Orioles at 3:10 p.m. ET, followed by the Chicago White Sox taking on the Kansas City Royals at 8:15 p.m. ET.
National League
Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Opening Day is the annual start of the regular season.
For baseball fans, Opening Day signals the return of America’s pastime after a long offseason. All 30 MLB teams play on Opening Day, with most games starting at 1:05 p.m. local time.
The first game of the season is typically between the previous year’s World Series participants. In 2019, that game was between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox won 5-3.
The Dodgers have the distinction of being the team with the most Opening Day wins in MLB history, with a total of 134. The Cincinnati Reds are second with 131, followed by the New York Yankees with 130.
Opening Day by Team
The Atlanta Braves will open the 2019 Major League Baseball season on March 28th against the Philadelphia Phillies.
American League
The American League Champion Boston Red Sox will host the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, April 2, 2020, at Fenway Park in the first game of the Major League Baseball season. It will be the earliest start to a season in baseball history.
The game will start at 1:05 p.m. local time and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The Red Sox are entering the 2020 season as the defending World Series champions, having defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games last year.
National League
The National League Opening Day is always the earliest of the two, as they have to start their season a day before the American League. The first National League game was on April 22, 1876, and since then there have been a total of 145 opening days. The most games played on Opening Day are six, and this has happened 14 times in National League history.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is one of the most highly anticipated days of the year for baseball fans. Though the official schedule has not yet been released, we can still speculate as to which teams will be playing on Opening Day. Based on last year’s standings, it is likely that the Boston Red Sox will be playing the New York Yankees, and the Chicago Cubs will be playing the St. Louis Cardinals. These are just two potential matchups, but regardless of who is playing, baseball fans can rest assured that Opening Day will be a day to remember.
