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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Charles Curtis

Ranking all 15 MLB Opening Day 2023 games by watchability

THE 2023 MLB SEASON IS FINALLY HERE!!! PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!!

That’s right, we’ve got regular-season baseball to play after an offseason and spring training full of huge contracts and some rule changes that are changing the game.

On Thursday, every team will be in action, and although you’ve got our handy watchability guide for all 30 squads, we’ve decided to break out one for March 30, because you can’t watch EVERY game (although I guess you can try). So if you have access to all 15 Opening Day games, we can help you prioritize here.

Let’s run through them, from least compelling to must-watch baseball:

15
Reds vs. Pirates, 4:10 p.m. ET (Hunter Greene vs. Mitch Keller)

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Look, Greene and Keller are great pitchers, but this is a matchup of bad teams.

Watch Reds vs. Pirates on Fubo

14
Royals vs. Twins, 4:10 p.m. ET (Zack Greinke vs. Pablo Lopez)

(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

The ageless Greinke is back in KC, and that’s great. But there are better games.

Watch Royals vs. Twins on Fubo

13
Red Sox vs. Orioles, 2:10 p.m. ET (Corey Kluber vs. Kyle Gibson)

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

It’s not that I don’t love the O’s. I think they’re going to be fun to watch this year. I just don’t love the pitching matchup. There are better ones on here.

Watch Red Sox vs. Orioles on Fubo

12
Nationals vs. Braves, 1:05 p.m. ET (Patrick Corbin vs. Max Fried)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

I promise you, this is not any Braves hate. It’s just that the Nats are going to be bad and Corbin had a 6.31 ERA last year. GAH. This game might be a snoozer, quickly.

Watch Nationals vs. Braves on Fubo

11
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Detroit Tigers, 3:10 p.m. ET (Shane McClanahan vs. Eduardo Rodriguez)

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The Rays are endlessly entertaining but we’ve reached the “I’ll watch an inning or two” zone.

Watch Rays vs. Tigers on Fubo

10
Cubs vs. Brewers, 2:20 p.m. ET (Marcus Stroman vs. Corbin Burnes)

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Maybe it’s a good team vs. not good team thing? But this one isn’t bad.

Watch Cubs vs. Brewers on Fubo

9
Padres vs. Rockies, 4:10 p.m. ET (Blake Snell vs. German Marquez)

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

I’d like to tune in to see if the Padres are for real.

Watch Padres vs. Rockies on Fubo

8
A's vs. Angels, 10:07 p.m. ET (Kyle Muller vs. Shohei Ohtani)

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Hey, it’s Ohtani. You want to watch all games involving him.

Watch A's vs. Angels on Fubo

7
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks, 10:10 p.m. ET (Julio Urias vs. Zac Gallen)

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A really good pitcher matchup, and I feel like the D-Backs will be feistier than we think, so maybe this is a great game.

Watch Dodgers vs. D-Backs on Fubo

6
Astros vs. White Sox, 7:08 p.m. ET (Framber Valdez vs Dylan Cease)

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Solid all around.

Watch Astros vs. White Sox on Fubo

5
Cardinals vs. Blue Jays, 4:10 p.m. (Miles Mikolas vs. Alek Manoah)

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Just two awesome, fun teams and an underrated pitching matchup.

Watch Cardinals vs. Blue Jays on Fubo

4
Yankees vs. Giants, 1:05 p.m. (Gerrit Cole v. Logan Webb)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

I dig everything about this game.

Watch Yankees vs. Giants on Fubo

3
Rangers vs. Phillies, 4:05 p.m. (Jacob deGrom vs. Aaron Nola)

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

That pitching matchup alone is worth it, but also I hope there are lots of home runs in this one.

Watch Rangers vs. Phillies on Fubo

2
Mariners vs. Guardians, 10:10 p.m. (Luis Castillo vs. Shane Bieber)

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Is this overrating this one? No! These are two of the most fun teams in the league!

Watch Mariners vs. Guardians on Fubo

1
Marlins vs. Mets, 4:10 p.m. ET (Sandy Alcantara vs. Max Scherzer)

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Two Cy Young contenders fighting it out on Opening Day? What could be better?

Watch Marlins vs. Mets on Fubo

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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