7:00 AM ET Major League Baseball’s new rules didn’t impact scoring significantly in spring training, and oddsmakers began the season without adjusting their numbers on runs scored, while taking a wait-and-see approach to the pitch clock and elimination of the infield shift. MLB games have averaged 9.1 runs scored over the past five seasons. Last
MLB
10:12 PM ET Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani began the 2023 season with a twist: calling his own pitches through a PitchCom device hidden underneath his jersey near his left shoulder. Ohtani’s decision to call his own game is directly related to the pitch clock. “Shohei’s got so many pitches he can throw,” Angels
9:47 PM ET ARLINGTON — Perhaps there’s some irony in Jacob deGrom‘s first start as a Texas Ranger on Thursday. Known for getting little run support in his years with the New York Mets, deGrom got plenty from his new teammates – except they came after he was chased from the game by the Philadelphia
6:51 PM ET ESPN News Services Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard will open the season on the injured list because of anxiety. “From my experience, knowing myself, I think just taking a step back, taking time to work through things, get it right, is the best approach,” Bard told reporters Thursday, according to MLB.com. The
10:05 PM ET St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras left Thursday’s Opening Day contest against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the eighth inning after a 103 mph pitch glanced off his knee. The Cardinals said after a 10-9 loss that Contreras suffered a right knee contusion and X-rays came back negative.
7:27 PM ET BOSTON — Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman felt the Opening Day jitters. Last year was supposed to be his first season opener, but a right triceps strain delayed his debut until May. And so when he woke up on Thursday morning in Boston, hours away from first pitch, he felt the jitters
3:16 PM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals made seven-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez the fourth captain in franchise history before their opener against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, rewarding one of the club’s most popular players with the rare title. Unlike football or basketball, the captain title is bestowed
3:11 PM ET ESPN News Services Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried exited his Opening Day start against the Washington Nationals on Thursday with left hamstring discomfort, the team announced. Fried winced as he he ran to cover first base for the initial out of the fourth inning and was removed after 43 pitches. He gave
2:46 PM ET The Chicago White Sox bid goodbye to longtime veteran outfielder Leury Garcia on Thursday, paving the way for prospect Oscar Colas. The moves were among several made by the team to finalize its Opening Day roster prior to Thursday night’s game against the Houston Astros. In addition to Colas, the White Sox
1:50 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Aaron Judge rang in Opening Day the same way he marked many nights last season: with a home run. In his first game as New York Yankees captain, Judge hit a solo drive in the first inning off San Francisco‘s Logan Webb on Thursday, a 422-foot shot