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MLB Opening Day 2024: Live updates, lineups, game highlights

Welcome to MLB Opening Day! 

All 30 teams were scheduled to be in action Thursday before rain postponed the scheduled Milwaukee Brewers-New York Mets and Atlanta Braves-Philadelphia Phillies openers to Friday.

The Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles got things started with Corbin Burnes delivering a dominant debut for Baltimore. Soon after, things really heated up with eight games played at -- highlighted by a New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros showdown in Texas.

Later, the Texas Rangers will raise the first World Series banner in franchise history before taking on the Chicago Cubs in manager Craig Counsell's team debut (7:35 p.m. ET on ESPN). And, if that wasn't enough, there are a trio of late-night games on the West Coast, including Luis Castillo and the Seattle Mariners against the Boston Red Sox at 10:10 p.m. ET. 

What are we looking for as the season gets started? Our reporters give their pregame takes from the ballpark, plus we'll post lineups as they are announced and live updates throughout the day, including takeaways from each game as it concludes.

Season preview: Power rankings | Predictions | Moves that rocked offseason
MLB Rank 2024: Who are baseball's 100 best players? | Snubs, surprises
ESPN+: Passan's bold predictions, breakout stars | 2024 MLB payroll tiers

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Live updates  |  | Takeaways | Storylines & lineups

Postponed games: MIL-NYM, ATL-PHI

Live updates from every Opening Day game

Takeaways from completed Opening Day games

Baltimore Orioles 11, Los Angeles Angels 3

Recap | Box score | Highlights

Corbin Burnes allowed a first-inning home run to Mike Trout but otherwise was absolutely dominant in his Orioles debut. That was the only hit he allowed in his six innings as he struck out 11 of the 19 batters he faced, with seven of those K's coming with his curveball. The Angels had no chance. With Kyle Bradish and John Means starting the season on the IL, the Orioles are looking for their big offseason acquisition to get off to a hot start - unlike last season with the Brewers, when Burnes uncharacteristically struggled early on with his control and had a so-so 3.97 ERA through his first 10 starts. Even without Bradish and Means, the Orioles have a chance to get off to a blazing start: Of their first 36 games, only six are against teams that made the playoffs last season and those six are home games against the Brewers and Twins. -- David Schoenfield

What to watch, lineups for remaining Opening Day games

Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers

First pitch: 7:35 p.m. ET | ESPN
The pitching matchup: Justin Steele vs. Nathan Eovaldi

The big storyline: Both teams have large-font narratives generating heightened interest in their openers. For the Rangers, it's a celebration as Texas will raise its first World Series banner before the game. Meanwhile, the Cubs usher in a new era in which the face of the team may well be its new manager, Craig Counsell, who became the highest-paid skipper in history after jumping from one of Chicago's chief division rivals in the Brewers. Counsell got paid based on a deserved reputation as one of the game's most well-rounded skippers. Yet when that banner rises, he'll be admiring the exploits of his opponent, Bruce Bochy, who will be participating in his fourth title celebration as a skipper, or three more titles than the Cubs have won over the last 115 years.

One interesting fact to impress your friends: The magic number for wins in Texas is 102. That's a high bar but these are the defending champs, after all. If the Rangers hit that total, Bochy's career total would jump to 2,195 and he'd leap over Joe McCarthy, Bucky Harris, Dusty Baker and Sparky Anderson into sixth on the all-time wins list. And if the Rangers repeat as champs, he'd join McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Connie Mack as the only managers with at least five World Series wins. Yet, from the did-you-know category: Bochy enters the season eight games under .500 for his regular-season career. -- Doolittle

Cubs lineup

Cubs lineup Ian Happ (S) LF
Seiya Suzuki (R) RF
Cody Bellinger (L) CF
Christopher Morel (R) DH
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Michael Busch (L) 1B
Nico Hoerner (R) 2BNick Madrigal (R) 3B
Yan Gomes (R) C

Rangers lineup

Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Josh Jung (R) 3B
Adolis Garcia (R) RF
Wyatt Langford (R) DH
Jonah Heim (S) C
Ezequiel Duran (R) 1B
Evan Carter (L) LF
Leody Taveras (S) CF


Cleveland Guardians at Oakland Athletics

First pitch: 10:07 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Shane Bieber vs. Alex Wood

The big storyline: It's the familiar existential question: If a big league baseball game is played in an empty stadium, does it make a sound? With the A's on their way out of town, diehard Oakland fans have chosen Opening Day as a way of making a statement. Last year was the year of the Reverse Boycott, where fans showed up en masse on select occasions to show their visceral disregard for ownership. This year, after the team's decision to abandon Oakland for Las Vegas, the fans have chosen a different approach, the UnReverse Boycott, or Reverse UnBoycott, where they hang out in the parking lot to show ownership they still care -- without paying to prove it. The A's have taken steps to mitigate the bad publicity by opening the parking lot just two hours before game time, but angry A's fans have proven their resourcefulness.

One interesting fact to impress your friends: Stephen Vogt is the Guardians' new manager. Stephen Vogt is also a cult hero in Oakland, where the chant "We Believe In Stephen Vogt" -- accompanied by the drumbeat from the diehards in the right-field bleachers -- became an earworm of the last of the Oakland glory days. -- Keown

Guardians lineup

Steven Kwan (L) LF
Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
Ramon Laureano (R) RF
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
David Fry (R) DH
Tyler Freeman (R) CF
Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
Austin Hedges (R) C
Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Athletics lineup

Ryan Noda (L) 1B
Zack Gelof (R) 2B
JJ Bleday (L) CF
Brent Rooker (R) DH
Seth Brown (L) LF
J.D. Davis (R) 3B
Shea Langeliers (R) C
Lawrence Butler (L) RF
Nick Allen (R) SS


Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners

First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Brayan Bello vs. Luis Castillo

The big storyline: Call this the battle of two playoff contenders who decided not to spend any money this offseason -- leaving two very unhappy fan bases. Boston's payroll is down about $21 million from last season while Seattle's is down about $1 million. The Red Sox ran the highest payroll in the sport when they won the World Series in 2018 but may not crack the top 10 this season. The Mariners missed the postseason by one win but simply retooled the roster rather than making significant additions. Still, with Julio Rodriguez and what could be one of the sport's best rotations, the Mariners could challenge for their first division title since 2001 -- and maybe even their first World Series appearance.

One interesting fact to impress your friends: Rodriguez had 60 home runs and 62 stolen bases over his first two seasons. Only six other players in MLB history reached 60-60 through their age-22 seasons: Alex Rodriguez, Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Andruw Jones and Cesar Cedeno. Rodriguez will have his sights on a 40-40 season in 2024. -- Schoenfield

Red Sox lineup

Jarren Duran (L) LF
Rafael Devers (L) 3B
Trevor Story (R) SS
Triston Casas (L) 1B
Tyler O'Neill (R) RF
Masataka Yoshida (L) DH
Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF
Enmanuel Valdez (L) 2B
Connor Wong (R) C

Mariners lineup

J.P. Crawford (L) SS
Julio Rodriguez (R) CF
Jorge Polanco (S) 2B
Mitch Garver (R) DH
Cal Raleigh (S) C
Mitch Haniger (R) RF
Dominic Canzone (L) LF
Ty France (R) 1B
Josh Rojas (L) 3B


Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks

First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
The pitching matchup: Kyle Freeland vs. Zac Gallen

The big storyline: From a national perspective, pretty much all the interest in this game surrounds Arizona, a breakout team in 2023 that won't be sneaking up on anyone this time around. The Diamondbacks are defending an NL pennant for the second time in their history and as a club built on a foundation of a surfeit of young, high-upside players, they should in theory be better. But can they be improved enough to keep pace in the high-powered NL West? Getting off to a strong start will be a challenge as Arizona is dealing with key injuries in its pitching staff. That list is led by key free agent signee Eduardo Rodriguez (lat strain) and closer Paul Sewald (oblique).

One interesting fact to impress your friends: Arizona star Corbin Carroll is a great all-around player and one of the games' best young hitters. But where he breaks the scale is on the basepaths. On the surface, you see that he scored 116 runs in 2023 while racking up 10 triples and recording a 54-for-59 success rate on steals. Add it up and Carroll's plus-12 runs above average in the baserunning component of bWAR was five runs better than any other player in baseball last season, ranked as the best-ever total for a player 22 or younger and was tied for the 12th-best single-season figure in history. You can't take your eyes off him. -- Doolittle

Rockies lineup: TBA

Diamondbacks lineup

Ketel Marte (S) 2B
Corbin Carroll (L) RF
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) LF
Christian Walker (R) 1B
Gabriel Moreno (R) C
Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B
Blaze Alexander (R) DH
Alek Thomas (L) CF
Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS

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