Hope sprung eternal with Major League Baseball's Opening Day on Thursday, the first full day of action in this new 2024 season.
Some highlights included Juan Soto's winning Yankees debut, the Dodgers stars coming together for their home opener, Corbin Burnes dominating as the Orioles kicked off their AL East title defense and Tyler O'Neill setting a record with a fifth consecutive Opening Day home run.
There are 10 games scheduled for Friday, including the Braves-Phillies and Mets-Brewers openers that were postponed due to weather.
Here's how Opening Day 2024 unfolded:
Here's Thursday's full schedule and results (all times Eastern):
MLB SALARIES: Baseball's top 25 highest-paid players in 2024
LOS ANGELES — Normalcy, at long last the Dodgers say, finally arrived Thursday afternoon.
Well, other than that 395-foot walk along a blue carpet from center field to the third-base line during pre-game introductions.
Unless you think it’s normal having Hollywood stars announce the starting lineup and Hall of Famers from two different sports firing up the crowd before the game.
Then yes, the most anticipated Dodgers’ home opener in franchise history was just like any other baseball game in the middle of a long season.
“It was awesome," said Los Angeles native Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' starting pitcher.
— Bob Nightengale
With his home run in the eighth inning, Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill became the first player in Major League Baseball history to homer in five consecutive opening day games.
The solo home run off Mariners reliever Cody Bolton came at a big moment for Boston, an insurance run that extended the lead to 6-4.
O'Neill is in his first year with Boston, joining the team in an offseason trade after six years with the Cardinals. His previous opening day home runs were from 2020-2023 with St. Louis.
— Jesse Yomtov
The Diamondbacks started the bottom of the third inning with seven hitters reaching base, ultimately scoring a franchise-record 14 runs on 13 hits in the frame.
Arizona leads 16-2 through three innings.
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland was charged with 10 runs in the game and Anthony Molina took the hit for six more, getting just one out in the fateful third inning.
Travis Jankowski hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth for the Rangers to force extra innings, then Jonah Heim's RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th gave the defending World Series champions a 4-3 win on opening day.
Kicking off the season at home, the Texas Rangers raised their 2023 World Series banner at Globe Life Field on Thursday, celebrating the franchise's first ever championship
HOUSTON – Trailing by four runs early Thursday afternoon, the Yankees rallied to a 5-4 victory against the Houston Astros on Opening Day before 42,642 fans at Minute Maid Park.
In his Yankees debut, Juan Soto - not celebrated for his defense - made the play of the game to save his new team.
Closer Clay Holmes was shaky in the ninth, and Kyle Tucker's base hit to right field nearly tied the game – but Soto gunned down Mauricio Dubon, trying to score from second base.
The play was upheld on a replay challenge.
After Oswaldo Cabrera’s game-tying, solo homer in the sixth, Alex Verdugo’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly scored Aaron Judge (double) with the go-ahead run.
— Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com
BALTIMORE — Corbin Burnes is an Oriole, and in his first outing in the American League, served notice that a 101-win team might indeed be the pennant favorite with his considerable talents in tow.
Consider the assignment completed to near perfection.
“Couldn’t have asked for anything more than that,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Maybe one bad pitch through six innings. Just an awesome, awesome performance."
Burnes struck out 11 in six innings and didn't allow a baserunner after Mike Trout's solo home run in the opening frame of Baltimore's 11-3 win.
“That’s not easy to do – a new team, Opening Day, a lot of jitters, probably pretty anxious," Hyde said. "To go out and do what he did, that’s really impressive.”
— Gabe Lacques
Things went according to plan for the new-look Dodgers in their home opener Thursday, a 7-1 win victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Shohei Ohtani had two hits, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman both homered and prized offseason acquisition Tyler Glasnow struck out five in six innings, giving up one run in the win. The Dodgers officially started the regular season last week in Korea, splitting two games with the San Diego Padres.
The only thing better for the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day than a parade on a sunny day and a boisterous full-house crowd at Great American Ball Park?
How about a double-Martini start to the season that left the crowd shaken and definitely stirred during a 8-2 Reds win over the Washington Nationals.
Nick Martini, the outfielder on the roster bubble most of the spring, drove in five runs with home runs in the second and third innings to back six scoreless innings of pitching from free agent starter Frankie Montas.
Martini, who was told just before the Reds broke camp in Arizona last weekend that he’d made his first career Opening Day roster in an emotional moment that manager David Bell didn’t seem to see coming for the veteran journeyman.
When Bell told Martini he was in the opening lineup as the DH?
“I didn’t wait for the reaction. I just told him and walked away,” Bell said with a smile.
— Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer
The Yankees overcame a 4-0 deficit with five unanswered runs – 3 in the fifth and one in the sixth and seventh innings – to take a 5-4 lead heading into the seventh inning stretch.
In the fifth Juan Soto had an RBI single, Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Anthony Volpe had a based-loaded walk. Oswaldo Cabrera hit a solo home run in the sixth and and then new Yankee alex Verdugo added a sac fly to take a 5-4 lead in the seventh.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 through five innings at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
Mookie Betts (solo) and Freddie Freeman (two-run) bothered homered off Miles Mikolas in the bottom of the third to make it 5-0, before Paul Goldschmidt answered with a solo home run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-1.
Nick Martini showed serious pop in his first 79 plate appearances for the Cincinnati Reds during the 2023 season. On Thursday at Great American Ball Park, he became the first Reds player to hit two home runs on Opening Day since Adam Dunn in 2007.
Martini homered in his first plate appearance of the 2024 season for the Reds. It was the Reds' first home run of the season. Martini added his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 3rd, to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead.
— Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer
The Houston Astros scored three runs in the bottom of the first against Yankees starter Nestor Cortes Jr., getting a two-run single from Chas McCormick and an RBI single from catcher Yainer Diaz.
Houston added another run in the second inning on a solo homer from center fielder Jake Meyers to make it 4-0.
Lefty Framber Valdez got the Opening Day start for the Astros and had allowed four baserunners through two scoreless innings.
Freddie Freeman hit an RBI single and Max Muncy added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead over the Cardinals on at Dodger Stadium
Tyler Glasnow started for the Dodgers, striking out three through two scoreless innings. Los Angeles began the regular season last week in Korea, splitting two games with the San Diego Padres.
Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis homered off Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans in the top of the first inning on Thursday, a stellar start for the former No. 1 overall pick who enters 2024 with big expectations.
Lewis is playing in his first Opening Day after hitting .309 with a .921 OPS and 52 RBI in 58 games last season.
Three-time MVP Mike Trout hit a solo homer off Orioles starter Corbin Burnes in the top of the first inning at Camden Yards.
The Angels outfielder has averaged just 79 games played over past three seasons. Baltimore traded for the former Cy Young winner Burnes in the offseason, looking to repeat as AL East champions.
The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead.
BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Orioles held an eight-second moment of silence for the six workers killed in Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge before their Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards on Thursday.
The bridge, located less than 10 miles from Camden Yards, collapsed seconds after the shipping vessel Dali lost power, veered off course and struck the crossing. Four bodies have yet to be recovered.
Just before the moment of silence, a 30-by-42 foot flag from Baltimore's Fort McHenry was lowered from the batter's eye. It is a replica of the flag flown over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner
— Gabe Lacques
Two of the six USA TODAY Sports baseball experts surveyed picked the Dodgers to win the World Series and two more picked Atlanta, with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles also receiving a vote.
All 30 teams were set to play in Major League Baseball's formal 2024 Opening Day on Thursday, but inclement weather on the East Coast had already led to multiple games being postponed Wednesday afternoon.
The Mets-Brewers game at Citi Field (New York) and Phillies-Brewers contest at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia were both bagged about 24 hours before the scheduled first pitch.
Those teams all had a built-in off day after the scheduled Opening Day – for this very reason – and will instead play their first games of the season on Friday.
A look at the top fantasy baseball players for 2024:
| Rank | Player | Pos |
| 1 | Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves | OF |
| 2 | Mookie Betts, Dodgers | 2B/OF |
| 3 | Julio Rodriguez, Mariners | OF |
| 4 | Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks | OF |
| 5 | Bobby Witt Jr., Royals | SS |
| 6 | Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres | OF |
| 7 | Kyle Tucker, Astros | OF |
| 8 | Freddie Freeman, Dodgers | 1B |
| 9 | Trea Turner, Phillies | SS |
| 10 | Juan Soto, Yankees | OF |
There are nearly two dozen legitimate contenders and a handful of what could be termed "super teams" as Major League Baseball’s Opening Day lurks on Thursday. In USA TODAY Sports’ first installment of MLB power rankings, it’s fair to ask: Can anyone go wire-to-wire?
The first to answer that question are the Atlanta Braves, who top our initial regular season rankings. Winners of 104 games a year ago, the Braves only got better this winter and boast the most players still firmly in the prime of their careers.
Here’s our top five:
Read USA TODAY Sports’ full Opening day power rankings here
— Gabe Lacques
Tigers starter Tarik Skubal underwent flexor tendon surgery, his second elbow surgery in six years, in August 2022. He returned to the Tigers in July 2023 — a late start to his fourth MLB season — and implemented adjustments he made to his mechanics, workout routine and pitch mix while rehabbing.
So far, so good. In 2023, Skubal posted a 2.80 ERA with 14 walks and 102 strikeouts across 80⅓ innings in 15 starts.
He was worth 3.3 fWAR from his July 4 return until the Oct. 1 season finale, tops among all pitchers over that span. He won AL Pitcher of the Month for his five-start performance in September, posting a 0.90 ERA with four walks and 43 strikeouts across 30 innings, capped by a scoreless streak of 11 innings that he'll bring into his first Opening Day start.
– Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press
“There’s a lot of electricity on this team,” Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz said.
The fastest team in the league last year led the majors in stolen bases and talked openly this spring about getting better on the bases – “We think we can be a lot better,” manager David Bell said.
That electric style of team play took a hit with extended-time injuries to center fielder TJ Friedl (wrist) and Matt McLain (shoulder), and the half-season suspension of rookie Noelvi Marte for steroids.
But the man with the fastest sprint time clocked in the majors last year – not to mention the hardest (99 mph) infield throws and the tape-measure power – is still standing 6-foot-6 tall in the middle of things for the Reds as they open the season.
And that speed, power and electricity look more important than ever with some of the key absences.
“I’ve got to be ready to go anyway,” said De La Cruz, who finished the spring strong.
— Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer
HOUSTON – A brand new start.
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn’t move any quicker from the disappointment of last season, aiming toward a complete reset in 2024.
“I think everybody’s really excited,’’ said Judge as the Yankees left spring training in the days Thursday’s Opening Day against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
“It’s just been a great energy all camp… a different level of focus,’’ the Yankees captain said of an oft-spoken term among players who experienced last year’s fourth-place finish.
“I think everybody here is ready to get things rolling.’’
— Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com
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