Opening Day lineups, pitchers, more (2024)

The 2022 MLB season is upon us, and the schedule is packed with juicy season-opening matchups over the first two days.

The Opening Day action got going Thursday afternoon with Brewers-Cubs, which featured reigning NL Cy Young Corbin Burnes on the mound for Milwaukee. Royals phenom Bobby Witt Jr. made a resounding MLB debut against the newly minted Guardians in MLB.TV's Free Game of the Day, while the night slate features the defending World Series champion Braves against the Reds (on ESPN2), as well as Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani on the mound (and at the plate) against the Astros.

Eight more season-opening matchups will wait for Friday, with the Red Sox and Yankees kicking it off after their opener was postponed on Thursday. In other action, an Apple TV+ doubleheader will combine Max Scherzer's Mets debut against his former team, the Nationals, with another Angels-Astros tilt from Anaheim.

So get ready for two full days of baseball with this guide to all 15 season-opening matchups on Thursday and Friday, listed in order of start time (all times ET). Every game is available live on MLB.TV (local and national blackout restrictions apply).

THURSDAY (APRIL 7)

SP matchup: Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. Kyle Hendricks (CHC) -- The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner takes the mound for the Brewers in his first Opening Day start after leading the Majors with a 2.43 ERA in 2021.
See this new face: Seiya Suzuki will be making his MLB debut for Chicago after the 27-year-old outfielder slugged 38 home runs for Japan's Hiroshima Carp in 2021.
Note to know: Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will make his sixth consecutive Opening Day start behind the plate, matching Jody Davis for the most in franchise history since Gabby Hartnett did it seven consecutive years from 1930-36.

SP matchup: Shane Bieber (CLE) vs. Zack Greinke (KC) -- Two former Cy Young winners duel in Greinke's homecoming to Kansas City, where the 38-year-old won the award in 2009 and started on Opening Day 2010.
See this new face: Bobby Witt Jr. has won a spot on the Opening Day roster, paving the way for the No. 1 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, to make his highly anticipated MLB debut.
Note to know: After trading Jordan Luplow to Arizona, the Guardians will start a different center fielder on Opening Day for the 10th consecutive season.

SP matchup: JT Brubaker (PIT) vs. Adam Wainwright (STL) -- At 40 years old and potentially in his final season, Wainwright will be starting his sixth Opening Day and his seventh Cardinals home opener, passing Bob Gibson.
See this new face: What's old is new again -- Albert Pujols returns to the Cardinals for the first time since 2011 and will be in the lineup at Busch Stadium as the DH for his 22nd consecutive Opening Day start.
Note to know: Brubaker will be the seventh different pitcher in the last seven years to receive the Opening Day nod for the Pirates.

SP matchup: Tylor Megill (NYM) vs. Patrick Corbin (WSH) -- Thanks to late spring injuries to Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, new Mets manager Buck Showalter had to go to Plan C for Opening Day.
See this new face: Free agent addition Starling Marte is expected to man right field for the Mets. The speedster led the Majors with 47 stolen bases in 2021 while hitting .310.
Note to know: The Mets rank first all-time in winning percentage (.650) in the first game of the season, including victories in 39 of the past 52 openers. (This game was originally scheduled for 4:05 p.m. but was moved back to account for inclement weather in the forecast.)

SP matchup: Tyler Mahle (CIN) vs. Max Fried (ATL) -- The World Series champs begin their title defense behind Fried, who's making his second straight Opening Day start after winning the clinching game of the Fall Classic.
See this new face: Matt Olson will be taking over for Freddie Freeman at first base in Atlanta, with the 28-year-old lefty slugger coming off a 39-homer season for the A's.
Note to know: For the 14th straight year, Joey Votto will start at first base for Cincinnati, breaking a tie with Dave Concepcion for second on the all-time franchise list for consecutive Opening Day starts, behind only Pete Rose (16).

SP matchup: Framber Valdez (HOU) vs. Shohei Ohtani (LAA) -- The reigning AL MVP is about to start on Opening Day as a pitcher for the first time … and of course Ohtani will be in the Angels' lineup as a hitter, too.
See this new face: With Carlos Correa departing for the Twins, Astros top prospect Jeremy Peña is ready to take the mantle as the team's new starting shortstop.
Note to know: The Astros have won nine Opening Day games in a row -- MLB’s longest active streak.

SP matchup: Yu Darvish (SD) vs. Madison Bumgarner (ARI) -- Darvish will become the first Padres pitcher to start back-to-back Opening Days since Edinson Vólquez did it in 2010-11.
See this new face: Luke Voit, who led the Majors with 22 home runs in a shortened 2020 campaign, is expected to slot in as San Diego’s designated hitter after a trade from the Yankees in March.
Note to know: Bumgarner’s eighth Opening Day start will put him behind only Justin Verlander (12) and Clayton Kershaw (nine) among active pitchers.

FRIDAY (APRIL 8)

SP matchup: Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) vs. Gerrit Cole (NYY) -- It's a rematch of the 2021 AL Wild Card Game, when Eovaldi outpitched Cole, and both pitchers are also making their third straight Opening Day starts for their clubs.
See this new face: Trevor Story, who had 24 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the Rockies in 2021, will get his welcome to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry as Boston's new second baseman. Three-time All-Star and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson will try to bring even more oomph to a powerful Yankees lineup.
Note to know: The Red Sox have won their past two Opening Day matchups against the Yankees (in 2010 and '13), while scoring a combined 17 runs.

SP matchup: Lucas Giolito (CWS) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (DET) – Giolito will make his third consecutive Opening Day start, the most since Mark Buehrle amassed four straight from 2008-11.
See this new face: After six years in Boston, Rodriguez will serve as a veteran presence atop Detroit’s young starting rotation.
Note to know: Coming into this season, Miguel Cabrera is behind only Albert Pujols (21) for the longest active streak of Opening Day starts (18), with the past 14 coming in Detroit.

SP matchup: Frankie Montas (OAK) vs. Aaron Nola (PHI) – Nola will make his fifth consecutive Opening Day start, the most for a Phillie since Steve Carlton made 10 straight from 1977-86.
See this new face: Power-hitting outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos are set to make their Citizens Bank Park debuts as Phillies.
Note to know: This is only the fourth series the A's -- who called Philly home from 1901-54 -- have played on the road against the Phillies since Interleague Play began. The last was in 2017.

SP matchup: Josh Means (BAL) vs. Shane McClanahan (TB) – Means will start his second consecutive Opening Day after leading the Orioles to victory in the role in 2021 with seven shutout innings over the Red Sox.
See this new face: Josh Lowe, the Rays No. 2-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is expected to be a regular contributor for Tampa Bay after the team’s trade of Austin Meadows to the Tigers.
Note to know: Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier’s eighth career Opening Day start would tie him with Carl Crawford in franchise history, behind Evan Longoria (nine).

SP matchup: Walker Buehler (LAD) vs. Kyle Freeland (COL) – After putting up Cy Young-like numbers last year, Buehler will be making his first Opening Day start for Los Angeles.
See this new face: After a surprising free-agent signing, Kris Bryant will make his debut as the anchor of Colorado’s lineup, while Freddie Freeman takes his first regular-season cuts as a Dodger.
Note to know: After losing Corey Seager in free agency to Texas, Los Angeles is poised to make Trea Turner its first Opening Day shortstop other than Seager since Jimmy Rollins in 2015.

SP matchup: Robbie Ray (SEA) vs. Joe Ryan (MIN) -- Ryan will become the third pitcher since 1961 to make an Opening Day start within his first six career games and the first rookie to start Opening Day for the Twins since Tom Hall in '69.
See this new face: Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray will top Seattle’s starting rotation as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. He'll face new Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, after the team added the headliner of the 2022 free-agent class on a three-year deal worth $105.2 million.
Note to know: MLB Pipeline's No. 3 prospect, outfielder Julio Rodríguez, will join Ken Griffey Jr. and Omar Vizquel (both in 1989) as the only Mariners to debut on Opening Day at age 21 or younger.

SP matchup: Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. Logan Webb (SF) – After emerging as San Francisco’s ace last year, Webb will make his first career Opening Day start as the youngest member of the Giants’ veteran rotation.
See this new face: Miami added two power-hitting outfielders in Jorge Soler and Avisaíl García to the middle of its lineup this offseason.
Note to know: Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman Brandon Belt will both make their 11th Opening Day starts for San Francisco.

SP matchup: Jon Gray (TEX) vs. José Berríos (TOR) – Gray and Berríos are both making their third Opening Day starts and first for their respective teams.
See this new face: Texas’ new star-studded double-play combo of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien will make its Rangers debut.
Note to know: The Rangers have had a different starting pitcher on Opening Day for 13 consecutive seasons, a date that spans back to Kevin Millwood in 2009.