Baseball enthusiasts, mark your calendars! The 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is gearing up to be an exciting one, with an earlier start than ever before. Here's a comprehensive guide to ensure you don't miss a single pitch of the action.

Early Start in Tokyo

The MLB season officially commenced with the Tokyo Series, featuring a two-game showdown between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. These games, held in Tokyo, Japan, counted towards the regular season standings. The Dodgers, fresh off their World Series victory, showcased their dominance by winning the first game 4-1, fueled by impressive performances from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani.

Traditional Opening Day

For the majority of MLB teams, Opening Day is slated for Thursday, March 27, with a packed schedule of 14 games. The Milwaukee Brewers will face off against the New York Yankees at 3:05 p.m. ET, while the Baltimore Orioles will clash with the Toronto Blue Jays just two minutes later. The day will conclude with the Cubs taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Athletics battling the Seattle Mariners, both starting at 10:10 p.m. ET.

Notably, despite their participation in the Tokyo Series, both the Cubs and Dodgers will also be in action on March 27.

Delayed Start for Rays and Rockies

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies will have to wait until Friday, March 28, to kick off their season. This delay was caused by Hurricane Milton's impact on Tropicana Field in October, which led to damage requiring the Rays to temporarily relocate their home games to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Yankees' spring training facility. The extra day will allow stadium workers to complete the transition of the ballpark.

MLB Tokyo Series Recap

The MLB's decision to start the season with the Cubs-Dodgers series in Tokyo highlighted the league's global appeal. Both teams feature prominent Japanese players, adding to the excitement for fans in Japan. This marks the second consecutive year that MLB has initiated the season with games played overseas, following the Dodgers and San Diego Padres series in Korea in 2024.

Opening Day Schedule and How to Watch

The Brewers-Yankees game on March 27 at 3:05 p.m. ET will be broadcast on ESPN, followed by the Tigers-Dodgers game at 7:10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN. Here's a full schedule of the games (all times Eastern):

• 3:05 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees
• 3:07 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays
• 4:05 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox
• 4:05 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals
• 4:10 p.m. - Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
• 4:10 p.m. - New York Mets at Houston Astros
• 4:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
• 4:10 p.m. - Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
• 4:10 p.m. - Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
• 4:10 p.m. - Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins
• 4:15 p.m. - Minnesota Twins at St. Louis Cardinals
• 7:10 p.m. - Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
• 10:10 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks
• 10:10 p.m. - Athletics at Seattle Mariners

On March 28, the Rockies and Rays will play at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Opening Day Starting Pitchers

Many teams have already announced their Opening Day starting pitchers:

• Milwaukee Brewers: Freddy Peralta vs. New York Yankees: Carlos Rodón
• Baltimore Orioles: Zach Eflin vs. Toronto Blue Jays: José Berríos
• Texas Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Boston Red Sox: Garrett Crochet
• Philadelphia Phillies: Zack Wheeler vs. Washington Nationals: MacKenzie Gore
• Cleveland Guardians: Tanner Bibee vs. Kansas City Royals: Cole Ragans
• New York Mets: Clay Holmes vs. Houston Astros: Framber Valdez
• San Francisco Giants: Logan Webb vs. Cincinnati Reds: Hunter Greene
• Atlanta Braves: Chris Sale vs. San Diego Padres: Michael King
• Los Angeles Angels: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Chicago White Sox: Sean Burke
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Paul Skenes vs. Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara
• Minnesota Twins: Pablo López vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Sonny Gray
• Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Blake Snell
• Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen
• Oakland Athletics: Luis Severino vs. Seattle Mariners: Logan Gilbert
• Colorado Rockies: Kyle Freeland vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Ryan Pepiot (March 28)

How to Watch Without Cable

For fans looking to stream MLB games without cable, several options are available:

• MLB.TV: Offers out-of-market games live. Subscriptions start at $20/month for a single team or $30/month (or $150/year) for all teams.
• DirecTV Stream: The "My Sports" package includes Fox, FS1, ESPN, ABC, MLB Network, and 18 RSNs, along with an ESPN+ subscription, for $70/month.
• T-Mobile: Customers can get a free season of MLB.TV via the T-Life app between March 25 and April 1, 2025.
• Apple TV+: Features

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