Baseball is back!
While the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs already kicked off the 2025 season when the two clubs faced off in the Tokyo Series, MLB's other clubs will be getting their respective seasons underway on Opening Day on Thursday.
And there are some fun games on the way. Here's a look at the full schedule of all 14 games being played on Opening Day, including each contest's probable pitcher.
2025 MLB Opening Day Schedule, Pitching Matchups
Here's the full schedule of games for Opening Day.
The Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays are the only two teams not playing on Opening Day. The Rockies and Rays will instead play on Friday at 4:10 p.m. ET at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Southpaw Kyle Freeland takes the mound for the Rockies against Rays righthander Ryan Pepiot.
Top Opening Day Pitching Matchups
There are a few must-see pitching matchups that could turn into old-fashioned duels on Opening Day. Here are three that will be must-see.
Paul Skenes vs. Sandy Alcantara
The 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes goes toe-to-toe with Sandy Alcantara, the '22 NL Cy Young Award winner. Skenes is already one of the game's best pitchers and Alcantara, healthy and touching 100 MPH again this spring after undergoing Tommy John surgery in '24, is ready to dominate again. This is the best pitching matchup of Opening Day.
Tarik Skubal vs. Blake Snell
Tarik Skubal, the '24 AL Cy Young Award winner, meets a two-time Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell when the defending-champion Dodgers take on the upstart Tigers on Opening Day. It's an appetizing matchup, and strikeouts are on the menu. Skubal led the American League with a 30.3% strikeout rate in '24 and Snell is just two years removed from doing the same in the NL with a 31.5% strikeout rate in '23.
Garrett Crochet vs. Nathan Eovaldi
Admittedly, this matchup would have had a bit more juice had it been Jacob deGrom taking the mound for Texas against new Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet. But don't sleep on Eovaldi, who has been great in the regular season for the Rangers and was downright dominant in the club's World Series-winning run in '23. Meanwhile, Crochet, a first-time All-Star in '24, broke out to the tune of 209 strikeouts in 146 innings for the Chicago White Sox.
Logan Webb vs. Hunter Greene
Webb, who ranks sixth in ERA (3.22) among qualified starters since 2022, has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball for the Giants. Greene, 25, is a dark-horse NL Cy Young Award candidate after pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts for the Reds in '24. They'll go head-to-head at Great American Ballpark on Opening Day.
Chris Sale vs. Michael King
After multiple injury-riddled seasons, Sale, in his first season in Atlanta, stayed healthy and dominated, leading MLB in ERA (2.38) while racking up 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings pitched. King might not have that kind of hardware, but he was arguably the most valuable pitcher on the Padres in '24, a season in which he posted career highs in wins (13), ERA (2.95), innings pitched (173 2/3) and strikeouts (201).
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Opening Day 2025 Schedule: Every Team's First Game, Probable Pitching Matchups.
