MLB Opening Day 2026 Arrives With Lineups, Schedules and Live Updates

Carson Benge had never played a major league inning before Thursday. By the time he crossed home plate at Citi Field in Queens, he had hit the first home run of his career, on Opening Day, in a game that set the tone for an extraordinary Thursday across baseball.

Paul Skenes took the mound for the Pirates against Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and the Mets but was chased in the first inning after allowing five runs, a brutal opening to his Cy Young Award defense. The Mets, fielding an almost entirely new lineup, never looked back. An unusual lack of execution combined with misfortune and poor defense behind him produced the worst start of Skenes' young career. Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien and Francisco Alvarez all finished with multiple hits as New York cruised to an 11-7 victory.

Justin Crawford recorded a hit on the very first pitch of his major league career for the Phillies. The 22-year-old top prospect is the son of longtime Rays standout Carl Crawford. He debuted at Citizens Bank Park against the Texas Rangers, where ace Cristopher Sanchez recorded 10 strikeouts over six scoreless frames to open the contest.

In Milwaukee, Jacob Misiorowski answered a first-inning leadoff home run by Chase Meidroth with an all-time performance. Misiorowski set a franchise record with 11 Opening Day strikeouts as the Brewers dominated the White Sox in every phase. At 23, Misiorowski is the youngest pitcher to notch 10 or more strikeouts on Opening Day since Felix Hernandez, then 20, whiffed 12 in 2007. The final margin was a 14-2 drubbing at the hands of the Brewers.

In San Diego, Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle turned his debut into a statement. The 21-year-old collected four hits, including a two-run double against Padres starter Nick Pivetta in his first big-league plate appearance, finishing 4-for-5 to help lead Detroit to an 8-2 blowout win. His performance overshadowed a strong season-opening outing by ace Tarik Skubal, who struck out six and limited San Diego to just one run over six frames.

At Busch Stadium, Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt batted leadoff in his big-league debut. Wetherholt wasted no time making an impression, crushing a 425-foot blast to straightaway center field against Rays ace Drew Rasmussen in the third inning. The 23-year-old second baseman was selected seventh overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and rocketed to the majors after hitting .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games in the upper minors last season.

In Cincinnati, Garrett Crochet shook off a lackluster spring to strike out eight over six scoreless frames as Boston won its opener. The Twins edged the Orioles 2-1, with closer Ryan Helsley recording a strikeout to end the game and preserve the win.

The day began Wednesday night, when the Yankees and Giants faced off in San Francisco in a game nationally broadcast on Netflix at a jam-packed Oracle Park, with New York winning 7-0. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, making him the first reigning MVP to earn a golden sombrero in a season opener.

There were 11 games on Thursday's slate, with eight more scheduled for Friday. The night closes with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers hosting Arizona at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto facing Zac Gallen, followed by Cleveland at Seattle at 10:10 p.m. ET with Tanner Bibee opposing Logan Gilbert.