Last, but certainly not least, White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami hit a home run in his first MLB game, and it was a bomb into the second deck. Murakami is a 26-year-old Japanese veteran, not a top prospect like Benge or McGonigle or Crawford or Wetherholt, but still, your first game in the big leagues is always special. So is your first homer:

The day begins with Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes starting at Citi Field against the New York Mets, who have MLB's highest present-day payroll entering the 2026 season. “I can do better this year,” Skenes said. "There are ways to get better. I just got to go out there and execute. I have to execute pitches more consistently.”

The 2026 MLB season began in earnest on Thursday, after the New York Yankees’ Opening Night 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. There were 11 games on tap Thursday, and it proved to be an eventful day.

The 2026 MLB season officially kicked off on Wednesday night, with the New York Yankees steamrolling the San Francisco Giants, 7-0, live on Netflix. While Wednesday’s game got things underway, nothing says the return of baseball like a full

Shohei Ohtani led Major League Baseball’s jersey sales going into opening day for the third straight season and was joined by two Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in the top five.

SportsLine's model simulated Los Angeles vs. Arizona 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks for Thursday's Opening Day 2026 matchup

Thursday was not the first day of the 2026 MLB season, but it was Opening Day. There's a difference, and you can tell by the number of games.

Tarik Skubal gets the start on Thursday as the Detroit Tigers open against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Los Angeles Dodgers don't mind one bit that they are the "bad guy" this season. The back-to-back champs own the narrative in Opening Day video.

Marcelo Mayer made the Boston Red Sox's Opening Day roster after weeks of chatter and lived out a moment he was dreaming of.