The 2026 MLB season kicked off Wednesday night as the Yankees throttled the Giants, 7–0, but Thursday is when things really got going. In all, 22 teams took the field on MLB’s Opening Day, representing nearly a full slate of action.
There were some incredible moments throughout the full day of baseball, starting off with an extremely short outing from Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Various bits of MLB history were made throughout the day, with players like Roman Anthony, Jhoan Duran and Kevin McGonigle, among others, etching their place in the league’s lore.
So, let’s revisit some of the best moments of 2026 Opening Day.
Mets chase Paul Skenes early
On the heels of his NL Cy Young-winning campaign, Skenes had some lofty expectations for his first start of the season. It ended up lasting less than a full inning. Skenes was chased before the first inning ended after recording two outs against the Mets. He certainly wasn’t at his best, but it’s hard to put the blame on the right-hander considering the disastrous mistakes Oneil Cruz made out in center field during the nightmare inning. Cruz made two egregious gaffes in the outfield, both of which were technically hits and thus impacted Skenes’ stats (resulting in a 67.50 ERA for Skenes).
ONeil Cruz with two of the worst plays you’ll see from a center fielder on back-to-back pitchers
Horrendous start to the season pic.twitter.com/Fjbt2LwSYh
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 26, 2026
Skenes threw 37 pitches in the first inning before Pittsburgh pulled the plug, and the Pirates went on to lose 11–7. Not the start to the season the team, nor its ace, was hoping for.
Jacob Misiorowski joins elite company in MLB history
“The Miz” had a fantastic start to 2026, mowing down 11 batters in a one-run outing that spanned five innings. Misiorowski became just the seventh pitcher under the age of 24 to record 10 or more strikeouts on Opening Day, joining the likes of Félix Hernández, Gary Nolan, Gary Bell, Don Drysdale, Herb Score and Bob Seller. Not bad company.
All 11 of Jacob Misiorowski’s strikeouts, a Brewers Opening Day record pic.twitter.com/LsdUaPwZQx
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 26, 2026
Misiorowski’s 11 strikeouts also set the Brewers’ record for most strikeouts on Opening Day. In all, he threw 94 pitches and surrendered two hits, one run and three walks.
Rookies reign supreme
There were many players making their MLB debuts on Thursday, including four players who hit home runs. Among the league’s newcomers to go yard on Opening Day included Mets outfielder Carson Benge, Cardinals future star JJ Wetherholt, White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami and Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter.
Chase DeLauter has arrived.
It’s not too early to start the AL Rookie of the Year conversation.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/lFhgt8niJY
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 27, 2026
That makes this season the first time in history that three or more players who were making their MLB debuts hit home runs on the same day. That record had already been set before Cleveland took the field against the Mariners, but DeLauter unleashed a solo shot in his first career at-bat to add to the historic accomplishment by this year’s rookie class.
Not only were rookies leaving the yard, but Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, MLB’s No. 2 prospect, collected four hits in his debut on Thursday.
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The Mets host the Pirates to kick things off at 1:15 p.m. ET. Paul Skenes will be on the mound for Pittsburgh, fresh off his all-tournament performance for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. He’ll duel with New York’s new ace, Freddy Peralta, who arrived via trade with Milwaukee this offseason. It profiles as the best pitching matchup of the day. Skenes will be facing a revamped Mets lineup that Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto still lead, but now features new additions Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien, and rookie right fielder Carson Benge. It’s a new era in Queens.
The Red Sox and Reds will meet at 4:10 p.m. in Cincinnati as they always do to open the season. Both teams have playoff aspirations and will throw their top lefties out there to open the season. Garrett Crochet will go for the Red Sox, while Andrew Abbott will oppose him for the Reds. Cincinnati has only opened the season on the road once since 1991, which came in 2022 due to the lockout changing the schedule.
Skenes’s fellow reigning Cy Young award winner, Tarik Skubal, will start his 2026 campaign in San Diego against the Padres at 4:10 p.m. The Tigers’ ace is in his final season before hitting free agency, so it’s an important year for Detroit to take advantage of his presence before he’s expected to depart for greener ($$) pastures. He’ll face a Padres team looking to reach the postseason for a franchise record third consecutive season. Nick Pivetta will be on the mound for the Friars.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers will begin their pursuit of a three-peat when they host the Diamondbacks at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the hill for L.A., while Zac Gallen will oppose him after re-signing with Arizona this offseason. Ohtani will be chasing his fifth MVP award this season, and his fourth in a row. New Dodgers acquisition Kyle Tucker will be in the lineup and closer Edwin Diaz will be ready in the bullpen.
In the nightcap, the Guardians travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners in what could be a pitchers’ duel. Cleveland is set to start Tanner Bibee, while Logan Gilbert got the Opening Day nod for the Mariners. Both teams won their divisions in 2025, but the Guardians were ousted in the wild-card round, while the Mariners lost a tight ALCS against the Blue Jays in seven games.
That’s just a sampling of the action coming up around the league on Opening Day, and we’ll be here with live updates as it goes.
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