MLB

The Dodgers are a popular pick to win the World Series, but they aren't unanimous.

Looking for more pre-Opening Day content? MLB has not had a repeat champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees, remember. A good twist heading into this season is the extra wild card team per league, enabling some divisions to place three -- or even four!

Alex Bregman, Houston Astros; Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds; Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays; Will Harris, Washington Nationals; Alex Lange, Detroit Tigers; DJ ...

LeMahieu’s the most decorated former Tiger now in the bigs but he had a rough 2021 season. Bregman was limited to just 91 games last season which is the fewest games he’s played in a non-rookie or COVID-shortened season. Bregman and the defending AL Champion Astros. are trying to finish the job they started last season.

Eight former LSU players appear on Major League Baseball active rosters as the 2022 MLB season opens on Thursday.

Lange, a product of Lee’s Summit, Mo., made his MLB debut with Detroit in April 2021. Austin Nola, a native of Baton Rouge and Aaron’s older brother, made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners, and he collected 10 home runs and 31 RBI in 79 games. Bregman, a product of Albuquerque, N.M., made his MLB debut with Houston in July 2016, and he helped lead the Astros to the 2017 World Series title as the club’s starting third baseman. Harris begins his third season with the Nationals after working for five years in the Houston Astros’ bullpen. Aaron Nola, a Baton Rouge native, enters his eighth season in the Philadelphia rotation. Bregman, who is entering his seventh season with the Astros, played at LSU from 2013 through 2015 and led the Tigers to two College World Series appearances.

After protracted negotiations between Major League Baseball's owners and players led to a 99-day lockout, baseball officially begins with new rules and new ...

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The business of Major League Baseball will increase in 2022 and reach pre-pandemic levels that should exceed the record revenues seen in 2019.

According to CNBC, total sponsorship revenue rose from $1 billion in 2020 to $1.7 billion in 2021. While the league did renew with ESPN, the terms of the renewal shifted as the Worldwide Leader dropped their mid-week regular-season games and focused on Sunday Night Baseball. That opened the door for two streaming deals that while not financially as large as what would have been garnered through a full ESPN renewal, it does provide additional revenue above the 17% for linear television. Throw in all that, plus the increase in media rights, plus deals for each of the 30 clubs, and all things point to Major League Baseball meeting or surpassing $11 billion in gross revenues for 2022. While Bank of America did not renew, a new partner came in to replace it. A host of new business has the capacity to push the league’s revenues back into record territory. If the nearly 100 days of the league-imposed lockout did any damage to the business of baseball, you’d be hard-pressed to find it.

The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in the first game of the day at 2:20 p.m. ET with the Houston Astros-Los Angeles Angels and San ...

“I think given the last two seasons, the idea of having normal, unrestricted fans in the ballpark is a really exciting thing for me. Their season-opener, with Manfred scheduled to be in attendance, was postponed until Friday at Yankee Stadium. The Atlanta Braves, the defending World Series champions, have standing room only tickets available for both Thursday’s opener and Friday and Saturday’s games against Cincinnati. If he opts out, the 29-year-old would be one of the top players available on the free agent market. Frustrated fans solely blamed him. Major League Baseball players openly chastised him. The Twins also will receive a player to be named later and the Padres will get $6.6 million in cash under terms of the deal announced Thursday. Cardinals left fielder Tyler O'Neill's first home run of the season was a three-run shot in the second inning of the opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The homer gave St. Louis a 4-0 lead an inning after O'Neill had opened the scoring with an RBI single The Cubs inked Japanese star Seiya Suzuki to a five-year, $85 million contract in March and the 27-year-old made his debut Thursday, starting in right field and batting sixth for Chicago. Suzuki drew a walk in his first big-league plate appearance (second inning) and then singled leading off the bottom of the fifth against Corbin Burnes. Witt, one of the top prospects in baseball, started at third base for the Royals and had gone hitless in his first three at-bats until his extra-base hit against Triston McKenzie. The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in the first game of the day at 2:20 p.m. ET with the Houston Astros-Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres-Arizona Diamondbacks matchups the last to begin after 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Dodgers are as dangerous ever but will the Blue Jays emerge from the stacked AL East. Our team of writers have their say.

In a game with no sure things, the Dodgers are the closest thing to one. Unfortunately, the series might not last long enough for the broadcasters to give us the complete history because the Dodgers once again will have the most complete lineup in the major leagues, plus Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw ready to pitch twice in a seven-game series. Blue Jays 4-2 Dodgers. The Blue Jays have one of the most compelling lineups in MLB, and if they all click, it could be a generational group that brings a title to Canada for the first time since 1993. Expect the Dodgers to take back the NL West after the surprising Giants take a small step back. The Brewers are a ton of fun with a deep pitching rotation combined with an electric bullpen and a more than satisfactory lineup. But the reigning American League pennant winners remain the class of this division, even without Carlos Correa. BAG The only predictable thing might be that the Baltimore Orioles are going to be one of the worst teams in baseball, everything else might come down to the last week. That said, it’s probably the toughest division in baseball, and it should be a war to the finish, where the Jays pip the Rays on the last day of the season. The AL race is probably the most open in years, especially with all the question marks hanging around Gerrit Cole. Robbie Ray certainly has a chance to repeat in his new roomy confines in Seattle. DL I’m just going to be Mr Predictable and pick Mr Predictable in the AL with the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout. In the NL, we’ll go with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts. It’s unlikely that both will win, but it’s pretty good odds that at least one of these bets will pay off, barring injuries. There is a bit more competition in the NL however, where the majestic Juan Soto should get the award he deserved to win last year. But I was pleasantly surprised to see two of the others won’t be back for 2022: 1) seven-inning doubleheaders and 2) the extra-innings rule starting each half-inning after the ninth with a runner on second base.

With another baseball season beginning, it's time for our writers to weigh in with their boldest and best predictions. What team are poised to surprise?

I think the Marlins are going to be a factor this season and Chisholm will be at the forefront – despite a so-so spring. And with an unrivaled blend of youth, depth, and upside in its rotation, the Miami Marlins are positioned to surprise and remain competitive into September. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Mike Trout will start with handicaps because of Shohei Ohtani’s unicorn status – heck, they’ve even made a special rule to allow him to stay in the game as a hitter when he exits as a pitcher. After barely missing the playoffs in 2021, the Blue Jays are considered a serious threat in 2022. If you’re thinking about who is going to be most relevant from a contention standpoint, the Seattle Mariners are your team. If their young arms take a meaningful step forward, the Tigers could push for .500 in a weak division. Add a couple pieces at the trade deadline and I could see Detroit claiming that new wild card spot. Which of those three has the best chance to impress in 2022? The Phillies are built to lose close games and the Mets … I just don’t know. There’s an expectation that they’ll struggle, but I think the Nationals are going to be one of baseball’s worst teams. Arden Zwelling: The only reason I didn’t choose the Detroit Tigers for the surprise team question is because I knew I’d be talking about them here. So, I like the Miami Marlins to surprise as an under-the-radar team, especially because of their starting pitching and under-rated bullpen.

Major League Baseball's 2022 season is here. It's Opening Day. The Athletic will bring you the latest news, analysis, updates and more throughout the day.

Ian Happ with a three-hit day, rips a double off the vines in right-center to drive in two. Further exams today showed Mickey Moniak had a hairline fracture in his right hand. Símon Muzziotti will join the Phillies roster on Opening Day, a club source said. "A lot of good memories here, and there always will be good memories here. If it's cleared up, he can start throwing at that point. The answers were weird and witty and wonderful. My model sees much larger edges in these markets, especially to make the playoffs, than the World Series and it’s because these markets tend to be correlated. Sahadev Sharma, Cubs writer: David Robertson allowed a single, but nothing else as he closes out the first victory of the season. The Brewers are 0-1. With the napkins flying, the wind swirling. You will take that every day of the week. Zack Greinke got huge ovation walking off the mound.

Toronto and the Rangers will kick off the new year at Rogers Centre.

Rangers: Semien left the Blue Jays and signed with the Rangers, so it's fitting he'll make his Rangers debut in Toronto. Texas also signed Corey Seager -- they committed $500 million total to Seager and Semien -- and Gray, and brought in Mitch Garver via trade. The Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers will begin their 2022 seasons at Rogers Centre on Friday, April 8. The Opening Day pitching matchup will feature the righties José Berríos and Jon Gray. This is the first time the Blue Jays and Rangers have met on Opening Day since 2010.

Now, April 7 is here, and so is baseball. Now, gamblers will be able to bet on the sport almost every day for the duration of the summer and through September.

Don't expect the Braves to crush the Reds. In fact, rolling with the Reds at +1.5 could be a sneaky-good pick. The Cardinals should be poised to earn a big win over the Pirates in this one as they help a trio of veterans in Wainwright, Pujols and Yadier Molina enjoy what is likely their final Opening Day together. Bumgarner has allowed an OPS of .894 to players in the Padres' lineup this year. Meanwhile, Darvish has surrendered a 1.063 OPS to members of the Diamondbacks' lineup. The temperature will be in the 90s on Thursday, too, so that will help the baseball to carry a bit more even if it cools a bit by nighttime. He is one of the hardest pitchers to hit against in baseball, and he figures to do well even against a solid-looking Royals lineup. He had a rough go in 2021, but he has had success again several of the bats in the Milwaukee lineup. The Mets looked like a sure-fire bet when we thought they'd be starting Jacob deGrom on Opening Day. Unfortunately, he is sidelined with yet another injury, this one in his shoulder. The Cardinals are, easily, the most appealing favorite to bet on Opening Day. They are taking on a lowly Pirates team that has the third-lowest payroll in baseball at $37.9 million. Given that the game is at Wrigley, we're rolling with the Cubs. Now, gamblers will be able to bet on the sport almost every day for the duration of the summer and through September. But at this early stage in the season, when there is no data, how do you know which picks to make?

L'espoir #1 du Baseball majeur, Bobby Witt fils, n'a pas déçu ses nouveaux partisans à Kansas City pour son premier match.

2022. 19:47 L’espoir #1 du Baseball majeur, Bobby Witt fils, n’a pas déçu ses nouveaux partisans à Kansas City pour son premier match en frappant un double productif en fin de huitième manche pour permettre aux Royals de prendre l’avance contre les Guardians de Cleveland lors du tout premier match de la saison. 2022. 19:47 jeudi, 7 avr.

Apple is taking a bite of Major League Baseball. MLB is making strides to put baseball in front of as many viewers as possible — kind of.

It's unknown when the switch will be flipped to a paid service in order to watch the games. The good news about this is that, for a limited time, "Friday Night Baseball" airs for free over the streaming service, meaning no money out of your pocket to catch these games. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. White Sox Red Sox vs. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. What makes matters more complicated is the exclusivity of these games on their respective streaming services. This season, with a new partnership between the league and Apple, select games will be available strictly on Apple TV+ in its "Friday Night Baseball" package.

MLB owners locked out the players once the league's old collective bargaining agreement expired. The two sides eventually agreed on a new deal — more on that ...

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Baseball is back! Here is your one-stop shop to keep up with the action as your team takes the field.

Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound and he will be in the lineup, beginning what promises to be another enthralling season as a two-way player. All of which is to say his pitching line will be 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 9 strikeouts -- and he'll be in Cy Young contention throughout the season. And as a bonus Opening Day treat, the Shohei Ohtani Rule -- which allows him to remain in the game as a hitter after he's yanked as a pitcher -- gets its first whirl. Olney: He's not pitching on Opening Day, but I'll call that this will be the last year that future Hall of Famer Jacob deGrom is with the Mets. Steve Cohen has demonstrated he's ready and willing to invest in any way he feels can help the Mets, but there are just too many variables involved for deGrom to return -- the questions about his health now, his health moving forward, and most importantly, what he wants. The Cubs' first game of the season is against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Rodriguez is slated to start in center field and will make his debut on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Zack Greinke has been one of the best pitchers in the majors for almost two decades, and he cut his teeth as a young member of the Kansas City Royals from 2004 to 2010. Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain hit a groundout to first, but Andrew McCutchen was able to make it home to give visiting Milwaukee a 1-0 lead over the Cubs in the top of the fourth. He gave the Diamondbacks a victory in which Yu Darvish had pitched six no-hit innings for the Padres. And get this: He's the first rookie to hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day in a game his team was trailing. For the start of April, it was certainly a commendable performance -- and one the Reds hope he can build upon. The biggest pitch of his night came in the third inning when the score was still 0-0 and the Nationals had runners at the corners with one out and the dangerous Juan Soto at the plate. It turns out the 2022 season has begun similarly to the way the 2021 season unfolded for the Angels, who couldn't get anything going against Framber Valdez on Opening Day. But there's a clear bright side -- and that, of course, is Ohtani himself, who displayed impressive fastball command, threw a crisp slider and generally looked really good in his debut.

There are seven games on the slate for Opening Day, with the first game beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley ...

Soto is 0-2 in five plate appearances against Megill, but overall, he hit .298 with three home runs and 11 RBI against the Mets last season. He only played in 36 games last year because of a calf strain and still hit .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBI. Despite only making 16 starts, Bieber went 7-4 with an ERA of 3.14 and had 134 strikeouts in 96.2 innings pitched. The former AL Cy Young winner is back on the mound after missing a considerable amount of time last year due to a shoulder injury. In his last four starts against Arizona, he only posted 12.7 fantasy points per game. Darvish is the highest valued starting pitcher on today’s slate and will be looking to bounce back from an average 2021 season (8-11, 4.22 ERA).

The Los Angeles Dodgers, not the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, open the 2022 MLB season as the No. 1 team in USA TODAY Sports' MLB power ...

They open the season ranked 27th. ► This season figures to be another year with a lot of losses. ► Is this the season Mike Trout finally returns to the playoffs after a six-year hiatus? ► The rebuild appears to be complete with the additions of LHP Robbie Ray, OF Jesse Winker and 3B Eugenio Suárez. ► Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg the most notable holdovers remaining from the 2019 World Series team. ► Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley should fortify the rotation. ► After five straight losing seasons, the Tigers look to be viable contenders. ► Padres begin season with SS Fernando Tatis Jr. on the IL with a broken wrist. ► It will be tough to match the 107-win season last year. ► Offense gets big boost with the addition of sluggers Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. ► The defending World Series champions replace Freeman with Matt Olson. ► Trevor Story, moving from short to second, gives the Red Sox a very potent offense.

Apple will offer free broadcasts of two exclusive MLB games per week on Apple TV+ starting Friday.

Apple doesn't need to make a huge profit from streaming TV. It just needs it as another weapon in its arsenal to keep you buying iPhones and other Apple gadgets. All that comes back to the same story we've seen play out at Apple since it started its push into online services several years ago. The new addition of live baseball games is a good experiment for Apple to see if it can garner enough interest to expand its sports offerings on Apple TV+ down the line, as others like Netflix keep avoiding live sports programming. Meanwhile, the dystopian workplace drama "Severance" turned into a sleeper hit this year, with critics raving and Apple ordering a second season. Apple picked up the best picture Oscar last month for "CODA" and several Emmys for "Ted Lasso," including outstanding comedy series. And while no one at Apple would complain if TV+ racked up Netflix-level subscribers, that's not the ultimate goal.

Opening Day is always a joyous occasion, and this year's start to the season was special on many fronts. From the seven games played to inaugurate the 2022 ...

Pavin Smith broke up the no-no by singling to open the bottom of the seventh against Padres reliever Tim Hill, and in the bottom of the ninth, Seth Beer smashed a walk-off three-run homer off Craig Stammen to lift the D-backs to victory on what was undoubtedly Beer’s day. Beer also became the first rookie in MLB history to hit a walk-off homer with his team trailing on Opening Day. After being no-hit by Yu Darvish for the first six innings of the season opener at Chase Field, the D-backs’ prospects for an Opening Day win appeared dim. Brandon Drury delivered a three-run homer to break the game open in the sixth inning, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 6-1 over the defending World Series champs. Houston’s 10 consecutive Opening Day victories are tied with the Boston Beaneaters’ run from 1887-96. That made him the fourth-oldest AL/NL pitcher to post a scoreless outing of at least that length on Opening Day, going back to 1901. Opening Day is always a joyous occasion, and this year’s start to the season was special on many fronts. He trails only Rip Sewell of the 1949 Pirates (41 years, 343 days), Charlie Hough of the 1989 Rangers (41 years, 89 days) and Roger Clemens of the 2003 Yankees (40 years, 239 days). From the seven games played to inaugurate the 2022 campaign Thursday, we were treated to heroics from baseball’s No. 1 prospect making his MLB debut, a vintage performance from a pitcher who made his big league debut 17 years ago, a record-tying run of Opening Day success, and much more. In 2021, Brewers ace Corbin Burnes ignited a run to NL Cy Young Award honors by racking up 49 strikeouts and zero walks over his first five starts. While Mets fans were surely disappointed they didn’t get to see Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer make the Opening Day start, they’d take Megill’s performance any day. And the 2022 season didn’t even get through its first inning before we got a stark reminder of that fact.

Baseball is back, as the 2022 season gets going with a seven-game slate on Thursday.

Speaking of Hoerner, he swatted the first home run of the 2022 MLB season, a three-run blast against Burnes. Hoerner hit zero home runs in 324 plate appearances between the majors and minors from 2020-21. The Cubs have won their season opener for the fourth time in the past five years. He went 2 for 3 with a walk at the plate, including laying down a bunt to beat the shift, and he turned several nifty plays ranging to his right on defense. David Robertson closed out the win for the North Siders. The Royals are looking for their first winning season since their World Series win in 2015. It was his only full minor league season because of the pandemic. For his troubles, he finished seventh in the NL Cy Young balloting. In that final frame, Robert Suarez walked the first two batters, put the tying run in scoring position with a wild pitch, and then loaded the bases via hit batsman. Tim Hill opened the bottom of the seventh and allowed a leadoff hit to Pavin Smith that ended the no-hit bid. That said, it's encouraging to see the 35-year-old Darvish putting up zeroes after what was, by his standards, a disappointing 2021. After he was lifted as the starting pitcher, Ohtani was able to remain in the game at DH thanks to the freshly implemented " Ohtani rule." He was the Angels' starting pitcher in the team's opener, and he was the leadoff hitter in Joe Maddon's lineup.

The 2022 Major League Baseball season has arrived, and there was drama right from the first day. The Chicago Cubs got the first win of the season with an ...

- Oakland Athletics (0-0) at Philadelphia Phillies (0-0), 3:05 p.m. ET - Los Angeles Dodgers (0-0) at Colorado Rockies (0-0), 4:10 p.m. ET - Seattle Mariners (0-0) at Minnesota Twins (0-0), 4:10 p.m. ET - ASTROS 3, ANGELS 1: Framber Valdez outdueld Shohei Ohtani in Houston's 3-1 over Los Angeles, the Astros' 10th straight win on Opening Day, tying a major-league record. - Chicago White Sox (0-0) at Detroit Tigers (0-0), 1:10 p.m. ET Valdez was fabulous, allowing just two hits in 6 2/3 innings. - REDS 6, BRAVES 3: The Atlanta Braves hoisted their 2021 World Series banner on Thursday night, but Cincinnati stole its thunder in a 6-3 win. Reds third baseman Brandon Drury, hitting out of the nine hole, hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to blow the game open. Pittsburgh had just six hits in the shutout. Willie Adames, Andrew McCutcheon and Rowdy Tellez all had two hits for Milwaukee. “My changeup played off of a lot of good curveballs at the right times, so overall, I was pretty good at being aggressive and setting the tone,” Hendricks said. Check it out every day and bookmark our site.

Baseball is back, as the 2022 season got going with a seven-game slate on Thursday.

Speaking of Hoerner, he swatted the first home run of the 2022 MLB season, a three-run blast against Burnes. Hoerner hit zero home runs in 324 plate appearances between the majors and minors from 2020-21. The Cubs have won their season opener for the fourth time in the past five years. He went 2 for 3 with a walk at the plate, including laying down a bunt to beat the shift, and he turned several nifty plays ranging to his right on defense. David Robertson closed out the win for the North Siders. The Royals are looking for their first winning season since their World Series win in 2015. It was his only full minor league season because of the pandemic. For his troubles, he finished seventh in the NL Cy Young balloting. In that final frame, Robert Suarez walked the first two batters, put the tying run in scoring position with a wild pitch, and then loaded the bases via hit batsman. Tim Hill opened the bottom of the seventh and allowed a leadoff hit to Pavin Smith that ended the no-hit bid. That said, it's encouraging to see the 35-year-old Darvish putting up zeroes after what was, by his standards, a disappointing 2021. After he was lifted as the starting pitcher, Ohtani was able to remain in the game at DH thanks to the freshly implemented " Ohtani rule." He was the Angels' starting pitcher in the team's opener, and he was the leadoff hitter in Joe Maddon's lineup.

Major League Baseball's Opening Day continues Friday. The Athletic will bring you the latest news, analysis, updates and more throughout the day.

Santiago Espinal drives in the go-ahead run with a double to centre field. But it stood to reason that Servais was going to need more time to get a full understanding of Ray, the person. The weather is better later in the season, too, so any exchange of April games for August or September games is a plus. That was evident to anyone. He recorded 88 pitches (66 for strikes), one walk and seven strikeouts in his Padres debut. He had nine near-perfect innings with 10 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over the Rangers. “At the same time, rooting just as hard for their teammates and they’re watching their at-bats, they’re paying attention, they’re excited for their teammates. From the West Coast, Yusei Kikuchi, while suiting up for the Seattle Mariners, noticed the Blue Jays’ unique celebrations. But Judge wanted an average annual value in the range of the $36 million Mike Trout received in his extension with the Los Angeles Angels, and the Yankees offered an AAV of $30.5 million. "By coming in towards the melee, basically. It’s time to play, and time to try to win a World Series.” Trea Turner said the Dodgers' brass approached him in recent days to tell him no extension offer was coming before the season, all but securing he will hit free agency this winter — potentially as the top available shortstop.

The 2022 Major League Baseball officially kicked off Thursday at 2:20 p.m. ET when Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs threw out the first pitch against the Brewers.

After his exit, the White Sox announced that Giolito left the game with abdominal tightness on his left side. Giolito threw the ball really well, giving up just one hit in four scoreless innings while striking out six. White Sox starter Lucas Giolito left Friday's game after just 61 pitches through four innings.

But in the end, the new CBA was signed and we have real, actual, these-ones-count games of baseball again. Well, minus games in New York and Minneapolis, but ...

Forgive me the most obvious of puns, but I think honestly it gets the point across well when we talk about Shohei Ohtani because it’s just amazing to watch. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Votto is a consummate professional as a host over there at first base, whether it be discussing the odd design of his bat handle or consulting with Ozzie Albies on a big personal style change: But probably not a very long time… His first hit didn’t come until the 9th inning, but a hit’s a hit, and here’s Steven’s: Starting in Chicago, where NPB star Seiya Suzuki made his debut in the friendly confines, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and accounting for one of the five runs the Cubs scored on their way to victory over the Brew Crew. Here, for posterity, is his first MLB hit: But in the end, the new CBA was signed and we have real, actual, these-ones-count games of baseball again.