Category: Sports News

The season kicks off for the Diamondbacks, in Los Angeles against the World Champion Dodgers. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 pm, and I’d probably recommend tuning it as close to that point as possible, unless you want to see the Dodgers getting their World Series rings and all that malarkey. [Hey, we are still the last team to beat Los Angeles in a post-season series] Mind you, with tonight’s game being a national game on NBC and Peacock, I’ve a feeling the broadcast is going to skew quite Dodgers heavy. If they mention us before the fourth inning, I’m going to call that a win.

It has been twenty-five years since the D-backs last beat the Dodgers on Opening Day. So it’s clearly about time, amIrite? That was a 3-2 victory in 2001, behind Randy Johnson, with a two-run shot from Luis Gonzalez in the seventh inning giving Arizona a come from behind victory. Since then, there have been four defeats and, to be honest, it has rarely been close. Only one of those losses has been by a margin less than six runs, with an overall run tally of 8-31. The last time we saw LA on Opening Day was in 2023, when Zac Gallen couldn’t get through five innings and took the L in an 8-2 loss. Still, that season ended up not too bad, didn’t it?

That’s definitely something to remember. It’s very easy to over-react – especially if you get pummeled, like the Giants did last night, or your ace and reigning Cy Young winner can’t get through one inning, like Pirates’ fans had to witness earlier today. But there’s a reason the baseball season is 162 games. It’s almost certain this team will lose sixty of them and win sixty of them. It’s what happens over the remaining forty-two – barely a quarter of the season – which will determine whether this year is a success or failure. So the odds are that today, in and of itself, won’t “matter” in the grand scheme of things.

Still, we hope for the best. There’s a lot of changes to look at here, with half the Diamondbacks line-up different from Opening Day last year:

• 1B: Naylor > Santana
• 3B: Suarez > Arenado
• LF: Gurriel > Lawlar
• CF: McCarthy > Thomas
• DH: Grichuk > Smith

On the mound, while Gallen remains the starting pitcher, none of the three relievers to come out against the Cubs (Ryne Nelson, Jalen Beeks and Bryce Jarvis) are in the 2026 version of the Arizona bullpen. All told, of the 26 players on the 2025 Opening Day roster, only eleven are also on the roster today. That feels low, though I haven’t checked to see how it compares to other teams. There may not have been a lot of high-profile changes over the winter – re-signing Kelly and Gallen were far and away the biggest moves – but there has certainly been a significant amount of roster churn. We’ll start to see how it works out tonight! Try and not over-react. 😀

Thursday’s Opening Day game against the Texas Rangers had everything a Phillies fan could want: A Schwarbomb, an impressive debut from a rookie, filthy pitching from Cristopher Sanchez, and a way-too-interesting ninth inning. Put it all together, and the Phillies improved to 1-0 on the season with a 5-3 win.

After Sanchez worked around two ground ball singles in the first, the Phillies scored their first runs of the season with the old bloop-blast combination. Trea Turner beat out an infield single, and Kyle Schwarber went opposite field.

🚨 OPENING DAY SCHWARBOMB! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/VDSCDlTGwZ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026

Rangers started Nathan Eovaldi settled down after that, but he did give up a single to Justin Crawford on the first pitch he saw as a major leaguer.

SAVE THAT BALL! ⚾

The first hit of Justin Crawford's @MLB career! pic.twitter.com/do0S4vzBph

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026

In the fifth, Crawford improved to 2-2 in his career with another single, and when Turner followed with another hit, it looked like the Phillies were ready to pile on. But Eovaldi struck out Schwarber and Bryce Harper, which left things in the hands of Alec Bohm.

There were a lot of complaints about Bohm serving as the team’s cleanup hitter, but for one game, it certainly worked out well.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE BOHM! pic.twitter.com/Yx7NF9WjIl

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026

Sanchez was faring far better than Eovaldi. He looked to be in midseason form as he tore through the Rangers’ lineup. He even seemed to be getting stronger as the game went on, striking out the last four batters he faced.

Make it 10 Ks for Cris! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Q9mNNbJSqv

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026

There are some questions about the Phillies’ bullpen, and manager Rob Thomson tried to cover the final three innings with middle relievers Jonathan Bowlan, Zach Pop, and Kyle Backhus. Bowlan and Pop were able to get through their innings – including the Phillies’ first ever ABS challenge.

I question why Thomson didn’t use closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth. Yes, you normally don’t want to use your closer with a five-run lead, but it’s Opening Day: You’ve got an off day tomorrow, so why not give the festive crowd what they want to see? Not to mention, this would have been an excruciating loss, so why mess around?

Instead, we got Backhus, and the Spring Training darling did not look good. Two batters in, and the lead was cut to 5-2.

BURGER BOMB!

Distance: 438 ft
Exit Velocity: 108.1 MPH
Launch Angle: 21°
HR/Park: 30/30
Pitcher: Kyle Backhus
Pitch: Sinker (92.1 MPH)#MLB#JakeBurger#Rangers#OpeningDaypic.twitter.com/jD9Uk8LaMB

— Ride The Pine (@RideThePineMLB) March 26, 2026

After another single, Backhus was finally able to retire a batter, but a poor fielding decision by Bryson Stott and an errant throw by Bryce Harper, put a runner at third base.

Duran belatedly entered the game, and although he allowed the tying run to reach the plate, he eventually got Even Carter to ground out to secure the win.

Game Won#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/ldmKtyb1YJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026

Sadly, the Phillies’ momentum will be stalled by tomorrow’s off day. I understand why they schedule the break, but it’s one of the most annoying things in sports. On the bright side, we get an extra 24 hours to celebrate the big days by Schwarber, Bohm, Crawford, and Sanchez There are certainly worse fates in the world!

The Pittsburgh Pirates season appeared to get off to a great start after Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer in his first Bucco at-bat.

Then the bottom of the first happened.

For the first time in his career, Paul Skenes failed to pitch out of the first inning. 

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for the Pirates in their 11-7 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon.

Skenes allowed five runs on four hits and two walks. He only recorded two outs and was pulled after 37 pitches.

One major reason why is because of two major defensive lapses by Oneil Cruz.

Leading 2-1 with the bases loaded and one out, Skenes induced a fly ball to center field off Brett Baty. Cruz started in a few steps and misplayed what should have been the second out and a sacrifice fly. 

Instead, Baty cleared the bases and wound up at third. One batter later, Marcus Semien hit a fly ball to center that Cruz couldn’t find in the sun.

Another run scored. The inexcusable errors immediately erased a great start in the top of the first inning and the Pirates couldn’t battle all the way back.

Skenes and the Pirates trailed 5-2. Skenes punched out Carson Benge but hit Francisco Alvarez. His day was over. 

Oneil Cruz with two of the worst center field plays you'll see in a big league game

…in the first inning of the first game of the year pic.twitter.com/kaBWNd58a3

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 26, 2026

Yohan Ramirez responded with an impressive 2.1 innings and three strikeouts in relief, but the bullpen allowed another six runs.

Mason Montgomery, Isaac Mattson, and Justin Lawrence each allowed two runs. 

The Pirates’ offense totaled 10 hits and showed some positive signs for the year.

In his team debut, Lowe etched himself into the history books. Lowe hit his second homer of the game in the top of the third and became the seventh Pirate to homer twice on Opening Day. 

Having some déjà vu…another one for B-Lowe! pic.twitter.com/KamjiGYhhj

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 26, 2026

Henry Davis doubled down the left field line in the fifth for his first hit of the year to score Nick Gonzales, who recorded two hits. 

Ryan O’Hearn hit his first round-tripper as a Pirate in the sixth. It was an impressive opposite-field shot by the new Buc, who hit 17 a year ago.

Lowe, O’Hearn, and Gonzales each recorded two hits. 

The Pirates and Mets will battle in game two of the series on Saturday, with Mitch Keller taking the mound, looking for a bounce-back performance from the staff.

The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Philadelphia Phillies scored five runs.

The last time the Rangers began a season against the Phillies, they won the World Series. That’s certainly a positive omen as we begin this 2026 season journey.

Those kinds of vibes didn’t last very long, however, as the Rangers whiffed on a scoring opportunity in their first half inning and then trailed 2-0 five pitches into Philadelphia’s first crack at the new campaign.

Opening Day starter Nathan Eovaldi has been excellent over his career in games where there are a lot of eyeballs on the action. He’s been great during his time in Texas. He won the franchise a dang World Series. He was enjoying arguably the best season by a starting pitcher in franchise history last year before it was derailed by ailments. Eovaldi is good for days like this. You feel comfortable with him as your Opening Day guy.

Despite all that, Eovaldi allowed a two-strike, two-run dong to Kyle Schwarber just two batters into this one.

Whoopsadoodle.

Throughout the 2025 season, Eovaldi allowed 25 earned runs total in his 130 innings of work. He allowed two before collecting an out in 2026.

Before his day was over, without even making it through five frames, Eovaldi allowed five runs on eight hits with zero walks and seven Ks. A back-breaking two-out, three-run shot off the bat of Alec Bohm ended Eovaldi’s afternoon in the bottom of the fifth.

Meanwhile, at the plate, the Rangers looked a lot like the group we left behind in 2025 for much of the game. Which is to say, *gulp*

The oft-maligned bats had a makeover over the winter, and they enjoyed some feel-good press for improved stat lines in Arizona, but that translated to all of four hits through the game’s first eight innings with scant few chances to score until a too-little, too-late ninth inning rally.

Granted, the lineup had the unenviable task of trying to get off on a good foot against arguably the National League’s best left-handed starter. Cristopher Sanchez took the mound for the Phillies and he shoved, continuing where he left off last season when he led the NL in bWAR (8.0) and produced a 2.50 ERA on his way to finishing second behind Paul Skenes for the Cy Young award.

In the end, Sanchez struck out ten Rangers in his six innings of scoreless work with lineup waiting for the ninth inning to finally get on the board via a two-run home run from Jake Burger. At the very least, they made things mildly intriguing by getting the tying run to the plate.

Ah well, there’s six months of baseball ahead of us for better days than this one. As far as Opening Days go, though, this one was a stinker.

Player of the Game: Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler deserves a nod for making his MLB debut and pitching a scoreless — albeit shaky — inning with his family hanging on every pitch in the stands.

But Jake Burger collected three of Texas’ eight hits, including the ninth inning home run that prevented Philly from enjoying an Opening Day shutout.

Up Next: The Rangers will take a day off on Friday before resuming this series on Saturday in a rematch of the 2023 opener with RHP Jacob deGrom on the mound for Texas opposite RHP Aaron Nola for Philadelphia.

The Saturday afternoon first pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.

Welcome back baseball, indeed!

On an absolutely GLORIOUS day in Cincinnati, the Red Sox took down the Reds by a final score of 3-0. This box score somehow feels earned despite the way the game went? Let me explain.

The Red Sox offense got the better of Andrew Abbott but couldn’t push a run across the plate until the 7th inning. 10 men left on base feels like the boys are picking right back up where they were last year—lots of bark, no bite to get multiple runs.

Thankfully, squeaking one out with a Ceddanne Rafalea RBI single in the 7th seemed to bring the game itself back to life, and then pouring on hits and walks in the 9th gave myself and hopefully everyone a little sigh of relief with insurance runs driven in by Trevor Story and Jarren Duran.

Crochet was Crochet. Exactly the workhorse ace you need him to be but not overextending him early on. Slaten, Whitlock, and Chapman were almost as clean as you can be, giving up only two baserunners total in the final three frames. For game 1 of 162, this was a decent start and showing signs of what should be coming in the 2026 season.

Take the night to soak in the win—the opening series off day is tomorrow so the Sox aren’t back until Saturday afternoon at 1:40pm!

Studs

Garrett Crochet (6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K)

After a rocky final start in Spring Training, the Pig showed everyone why it’s all just practice until the games count. Starting off with a four pitch first inning, he was a dominant force in Cincinnati on Thursday afternoon.

Roman Anthony (3-for-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 K)

The youngest Red Sox EVER with multiple hits on his first Opening Day, three singles, a walk created by a successful ABS challenge. Welcome to your first full season, Roman!

Marcelo Mayer (2-for-2, 2 runs)

Marcelo didn’t get the start today against a lefty starter, but he made an immediate impact upon coming in with a single, a double and two runs scored. I’m really intrigued to see how he fares at second—but his bat had a great start on Opening Day.

The ABS Challenge System (4 challenges, 3 successful overturns)

Today might be the day I realized how pivotal the ABS system is going to be to the success of baseball. Carlos Narváez did a phenomenal job with challenges behind the plate, going 2-for-3 on the day. That also includes turning an Eugenio Suárez walk into a strikeout to end the 4th inning. It was Roman Anthony’s challenge in the 9th that should be talked about the most. A strikeout to end the inning and leave Marcelo on base turned into a walk that sparked some insurance runs to seal the game is absolutely the kind of result ABS should be producing, Reward catchers for making good calls for their pitchers and getting them out of innings. Reward batters for making good calls by extending innings and starting rallies. I really enjoy this balance—I think full on robo-umpires is against the spirit of the game, but I appreciate the chance for in-game policing and taking that calculated risk to have an accurate call.

Duds

Caleb Durbin (0-for-3, 1 BB)

The lack of hits isn’t great…the error at third was egregious. It was a grounder he should be able to handle pretty easily. Thank the baseball gods they didn’t get burned for it.

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa (0-for-2, 1 K)

Wilson Contreras (0-for-4, 1 BB, 1 K)

I’ll say the same thing for IKF and for Willy…eh. Tepid and inoffensive debuts for each of them to the Red Sox faithful.

Play of the Game

In an absolute pitcher’s duel where neither offense could figure out the starter for long, Garrett Crochet working himself out of this bases-loaded jam proved to be absolutely pivotal.

Olivia “Livvy” Dunne began her Thursday by wishing a “happy Opening Day to those who celebrate.”

While the influencer and upcoming “Baywatch” star was in the stands at Citi Field to watch boyfriend Paul Skenes‘ Pirates take on the Mets, the result was anything but happy.

Dunne, 23, took in the season opener from the stands, sporting jeans and a tank top on the warm spring afternoon, one in which Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, was chased after just 37 pitches.

The Pirates staked Skenes to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but he couldn’t hold down the fort, exiting after Mets batters tagged him for five runs — aided by a pair of outfield flubs by Oneil Cruz.

The Amazin’s continued their work against Pittsburgh pitchers en route to an 11-7 Opening Day win.

It’s back to the drawing board for Skenes and the Pirates, and back to business for Dunne, set to star in a reboot of “Baywatch, which is set to air on Fox later this year.

She’s posted plenty of snaps in the iconic red lifeguard bathing suit, appearing alongside co-stars Hassie Harrison and Brooks Nader.

Dunne and Skenes have been linked together since their days at LSU, where Skenes was the baseball team’s ace and Dunne starred for the Tigers gymnastics team.

"Everything and more."

That's how Mets rookie Carson Benge summed up his major league debut following Thursday's Opening Day win over the Pirates, and you can't blame him.

The former top prospect had a storybook first MLB game, hitting a solo home run for his first career hit, getting a curtain call from the Citi Field crowd, and celebrating the victory with a Gatorade bath.

"Really can't just top it by trying to imagine it. Once you're there, you'll know the feeling," Benge said when asked how he thought the day would measure up to his expectations.

The 23-year-old struck out in his first two at-bats, including a three-pitch strikeout, saying he had to remind himself to relax so he could go out and play his game.

"Just calm down. Just deep breath, calm down," Benge said. "Great atmosphere, great fans. Just trying to bring myself back down so I can compete."

That reminder worked, as he walked and later blasted a first-pitch sweeper from Justin Lawrence in the sixth inning to put New York up 10-5. Manager Carlos Mendoza added that he was impressed with Benge's demeanor following those early at-bats, showing why he deserves the opportunity.

"Yeah, the personality. Who he is is super consistent," Mendoza said. "He's 0-for-2 with a couple of strikeouts and he still feels pretty good about his chances. He controls the strike zone, he walks, there's a couple of walks there, and then he gets a pitch he can do damage and goes to the pull side like that.

"I'm not surprised by it because of the personality there. Opening Day, first big league game for him, packed house, and he just goes out and plays his game."

First MLB hit ✅
First MLB home run ✅

CARSON BENGE HOMERS ON OPENING DAY! pic.twitter.com/yZOGuC3zWT

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Although what Benge doesn't remember is everything after making contact with the ball.

"I kind of blacked out running around the bases. I don't really remember too much," Benge said with a big smile on his face. "I know I got it good off of the bat, but running hard out of the box, definitely."

Luckily, the right fielder had 22 family members and friends in the stands who will remember the moment forever, including his parents and girlfriend. He said having that type of support made hitting a homer in his debut even more special.

"Means the world [to me]. Having all the people that have sacrificed so much for me come up and watch that happen is definitely big," Benge added.

Benge noted that he did get the home run ball back and will be giving it to his parents for safekeeping. He also said it was the loudest crowd he's ever heard, "times five."

As for the curtain call, the energy from the fans carried him up on the dugout steps.

"I kind of saw everyone just staring at me," Benge said. "I didn't know what to do, so I walked up there and did that. Worked out."

He added, "I just got chills. That this is where I'm supposed to be and just having fun every day playing baseball."

Benge said he slept well on Wednesday night and wasn't feeling the nerves, but understandably got a bit anxious during pregame. It ended up working out in his favor, as his debut lived up to his dreams.

"Definitely anxious to get out there, ready to start playing," Benge said. "Definitely everything I thought it would be."

Going forward, Benge said his goal is simply "trying to get better every single day." And for his encore on Saturday, and the rest of the regular season, the rookie is sticking to what got him here.

"Go play my game," Benge said.

They might as well have stayed in Arizona.

The Cubs got blasted 10-4 by the Nationals on Opening Day, and the weather, well, it was what you would expect for late March — 49 degrees, very windy, annoying light rain showers off and on.

Matthew Boyd, who was so good at Wrigley Field all of last year, threw two good innings despite allowing a solo homer in the second. After the homer, he struck out five straight Nats but then got pounded out of the game in the fourth, allowing five hits and a walk in that inning. Ben Brown relieved him and gave up a second home run in the frame, but the damage had already been done.

Here’s more on Boyd’s outing [VIDEO].

That solo homer, by former Brewer Joey Wiemer, gave Washington a 1-0 lead. The Cubs came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Dansby Swanson led off with a walk and took second on a missed pickoff throw. After Matt Shaw flied to right, with Dansby taking third, Michael Busch’s bloop single tied the game [VIDEO].

Alex Bregman, who was welcomed to Wrigley with loud ovations, followed with a walk. Ian Happ struck out, but then Pete Crow-Armstrong’s single gave the Cubs the lead [VIDEO].

As you can see, though, Bregman was out trying to take third. That sort of set the tone for the rest of the game. I get wanting to be aggressive, but maybe those runners should have stayed put for Nico Hoerner.

Anyway, the aforementioned six-run fourth for the Nats gave them a 7-2 lead. The Cubs got one of those runs back in the fourth. Nico led off and reached on a throwing error. He took second on a Carson Kelly walk and third on an infield out.

Another infield grounder by Swanson scored Nico to make it 7-3 [VIDEO].

By then, as you can see, a lot of seats had emptied out because of rain. The Nats scored one more run off Brown in the sixth. Brown didn’t throw too badly in this long relief role, which might wind up suiting him.

The Cubs’ final run scored in the seventh. Busch led off with a double, his third hit (and second double) of the game. He went to third on a single by Bregman and one out later, PCA dropped this very pretty bunt single down the third-base line, scoring Busch [VIDEO].

That’s something I hope PCA holds in his back pocket for more important situations later in the season. He’s definitely capable of doing that more often.

Hoby Milner threw a scoreless eighth and Jacob Webb allowed a two-run homer in the ninth, both of those runs unearned due to an error charged to Bregman on a ground ball that got through him. Tough error, I thought, given the weather conditions, the ball was likely quite wet at the time.

There were three ABS challenges in the game, all by the Nationals. Two of them confirmed the call made, the other was overturned. None of these had any significant impact on the game, and as has been the case for these during Spring Training, they didn’t take up much time. The game did, though, running a ghastly two hours, 59 minutes, largely because of 195 pitches by the Nats, far more than the approximately 130 per team that’s average for a nine-inning game. (Cubs pitchers threw a more reasonable 138 pitches.)

This loss ruined what began as a festive afternoon. Anthony Rizzo threw out a first pitch to a huge ovation [VIDEO].

Bregman was warmly welcomed to Wrigley [VIDEO].

But that was it for fun for the full house of 39,712. I remain steadfast in my belief that MLB should not be playing games in northern cities in March. Yes, it can be like today’s weather in April or even early May, but at this time of year days like today are more the norm than the exception. The weather had nothing to do with the result, but it was not much fun for fans. The upper deck cleared out by the fourth inning — I can only imagine how cold it must have been up there with a 22 mile per hour sustained wind blowing in their faces.

In any case, the Cubs did not look good in this game, but it’s one game, so let’s not overreact. Boyd looked bad, but… it’s one game. He did strike out seven [VIDEO].

Regarding Matt Shaw in right field, he did make this one nice play [VIDEO].

But overall I thought he looked kind of awkward and out of place there. He made a couple of wrong turns on fly balls and didn’t take good routes. Personally, I’d rather see Dylan Carlson out there. Shaw went 0-for-3 at the plate in this game.

Lastly, here are some Opening Day facts from BCB’s JohnW53:

The last Opening Day starter for the Cubs to exit after exactly 3.2 innings was Bob Rush, on April 11, 1955 (four runs on 10 hits). Only other with exactly 3.2 was King Cole, on April 11, 1912 (five runs on nine hits). Both were at Cincinnati. Ten have lasted fewer than 3.2, from 0, Ed Reulbach (faced two batters in 1911) to 3.1 (Clay Bryant, 1938, and Jon Lester, 2018). Most recent was Kyle Hendricks, 3.0, at home vs. Pirates in 2021 (three runs, four hits).
….
Michael Busch is the 85th Cub since 1901 to make at least three hits on Opening Day. Billy Herman had five hits in 1936 and eight players had four, most recently Emilio Bonifacio, in 2014. Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes, in 1994, is the only one to do it at home — and the only one with three homers.The last of the previous 75 with three were Ian Happ, in 2022, and Dansby Swanson, in 2023, both at home. Busch also had a walk, as did 18 of the previous 75 with three hits. The most recent was Dexter Fowler, in 2016.
….
Alex Bregman’s seventh-inning single made him the 500th Cub since 1901 to make a hit in his first game with the team.
….
This is the ninth Opening Day game since 1901 in which the Cubs have surrendered double-digit runs. They also gave up 10 in 1912, 1914, 1965 and 1979. They gave up 11 in 1962 and 1998, 12 in 1994 at home vs. the Mets (8-12) and 16 in 2010, at Atlanta (5-16).

The Cubs will have Friday off and will resume the series against the Nats Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, when it will be chilly (48 degrees) but sunny and less windy. Cade Horton will start for the Cubs and old Cardinals friend Miles Mikolas (who I was almost certain was going to retire after 2025) starting for Washington. Game time Saturday is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Alec Bohm goes from human trade rumor to Phillies' Opening Day hero originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Alec Bohm might not be the ideal cleanup man, but he did the job Thursday.

On a day when defending National League home run king Kyle Schwarber picked right up where he left off, swatting a two-run homer in the first inning, it was Bohm who had the biggest hit of all in the Phillies’ 5-3 opening day win over the Texas Rangers at warm and sunny (it sure didn’t feel like March) Citizens Bank Park.

Bohm picked up Schwarber and Bryce Harper after the pair had struck out with two men on base and the Phillies nursing a 2-0 lead in the fifth against Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi.

It was a prime situation that the Phillies – or any team that thinks it’s going places — could not squander.

Bohm made sure they didn’t.

He got a 2-0 cutter from Eovaldi and lofted it to the opposite field and into the seats for a 5-0 lead.

Talk about a sweet moment, this was definitely that for Bohm.

Over the past two off-seasons, he’d been a human trade rumor. If the Phillies’ very public attempt to sign Bo Bichette had been successful a couple of months ago, he would have been shipped out, maybe to Detroit, maybe to Seattle, maybe to somewhere else.

When Bichette left the Phillies at the altar, the club had no choice but to stick with Bohm. And on this team, where options for a cleanup hitter to bat behind Schwarber and Harper are thin, he was the guy.

That didn’t sit well with much of the fanbase, who sees Bohm’s 6-foot-4 frame and wonders where the power is.

But Bohm sees his job as an RBI guy, regardless of how they come. He was a good one in 2023 and 2024 when he drove in 97 runs each season. He wasn’t as good last year when he had just 59. However, he was hurt last year, missing time with a rib injury and a shoulder injury. He’s healthy now. And after one game, this less-than-ideal cleanup man leads the team in RBIs.

“I know he takes a lot of … stuff,” Thompson said. “But the guy puts the ball in play. He’s going to give you a good at-bat. He’s not going to chase. So, if there are RBI situations out there, for the most part, he’s going to come through. Last year, he had some time off because of injury, so the numbers don’t reflect who he is, but I really like him in that four spot. Now with the way (Bryson) Stott is hitting behind him, it has a chance to be really effective.”

Schwarber profiles as a cleanup man. But he likes hitting second. And the Phillies win a lot of games with him batting second, in front of Harper.

In Schwarber’s opinion, a healthy Bohm can work in the cleanup spot on this team, even if he doesn’t rack up a slew of homers.

“I feel like the way that he takes his at-bats, with his profile and his game, it plays for us,” Schwarber said. “And it plays on a lot of teams. He doesn’t need to go out there and feel like he needs to do anything (extra). He needs to go out there and be himself. When he does that, you saw it today – he can take you oppo, he can hit a double, he’ll pull a homer. He’s such a tough out in our lineup, and I’m looking forward to getting a full season of him healthy and keeping him rolling.”

Bohm’s big game came on the same day he made some news off the field. During the game, the Philadelphia Inquirer posted a story on its website detailing a lawsuit that Bohm had filed against his parents on Wednesday. The suit alleges that his parents mismanaged his finances.

“I don’t want to get into personal matters,” Bohm said after the game.

According to reports, Bohm is seeking a judgment of at least $3 million.

If he is the hitter the Phillies think he can be – and need him to be – this season, he will make a lot more than $3 million when he hits the free-agent market next winter.

“For me, that’s a lot further down the road than other people think it is,” Bohm said when asked about free agency during spring training. “It’s a long year. We have a lot of baseball in front of us.

“Who knows what’s going to happen. It’s exciting, but my focus is more on opening day rather than what’s going to happen after 162, to be honest. We’ve set an expectation here and that’s to make the playoffs. Hopefully this is the year we win the last game. That fuels me more than free agency.”

Bohm’s career-high is 20 home runs. For the record, he would like to hit more than that. He spent much time in spring training working with hitting coach Kevin Long on catching mistake pitches out in front of the plate so they have a better chance of flying over the wall. But Bohm doesn’t want to sacrifice his line-drive swing, doesn’t want to be a guy who sees his strikeout totals soar for a few more homers.

“I understand cleanup guys hit 40 homers,” Bohm said in spring training. “But 40 homers can come with a lot more strikeouts. Those two 97-RBI seasons that I had, those are closer to me. Hit a lot of doubles, hit the ball in the gap. Don’t give away an at-bat with a punchout when all I need to do is put the ball in play.

“I’m a better hitter when I’m not giving you 150 punchouts. Hit the ball hard, move it around the yard instead of looking for a home run. On this team, with those guys (Turner, Schwarber, Harper) ahead of me, there will be a lot of opportunities for RBIs.”

Move forward to Thursday’s opener. Two men on. Two outs. Fifth inning. Yeah, Eovaldi’s cutter was up, the perfect pitch to elevate.

But Bohm wasn’t thinking that way.

“In that situation, more times than not, Kyle or Bryce is going to drive in those runs,” Bohm said. “So, in the event they don’t, it’s my job as the next man up to try to drive in one, if not both. If it all lines up perfect, you drive in ‘em all in.”

It lined up perfect for Bohm and the Phillies on opening day.

“You can’t win ‘em all if you don’t win the first one,” he said.

Welcome back, Tigers fans! The long winter is over and we have real baseball that counts for real stats on our screens and on our radio. The Tigers started the 2025 season against some of the hardest National League opponents in the game with the Dodgers. Today they did it again, squaring off against Nick Pivetta and the San Diego Padres. As it turns out, the damage wouldn’t be nearly as bad on Opening Day this year. The Tigers would lean on Tarik Skubal, and they’d hand him a nice lead before he even took his first pitch of the season.

Things got started for the Tigers right in the first inning as Pivetta showed a lot of nerves, having a hard time finding the strike zone, and the Tigers didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity. After a leadoff strikeout by Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres took a walk. Colt Keith then gave a little bloop single that should have probably been an out, but Ramon Laureano couldn’t quite get under it, putting two men safely aboard. Riley Greene walked to load the bases, then a Spencer Torkelson walk brought in the Tigers’ first run of the season.

The Tigers weren’t done yet, though, as fresh-faced rookie Kevin McGonigle got up to take his first major league at-bat and smacked the first pitch he saw for a long double to right field, scoring Keith and Torkelson. A Dillon Dingler single brought another run in and put the Tigers up 4-0.

Then it was time for two-time Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal to get his first start of the season. Skubal didn’t have as perfectly clean an inning as he hoped, but he rapidly locked in. With one out, he gave up back-to-back singles to Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado, but thankfully followed that up with a swinging strikeout (that swing being contentious as Jackson Merrill did attempt to check swing but the third base umpire indicated he went). A groundout then ended the inning with no harm done.

Pivetta had found his groove better in the second inning, allowing a two-out single to Colt Keith, but the Tigers failed to convert the baserunner. Unfortunately for the Padres, Skubal was also more in the groove in the second inning, and he went through the Padres batters in order.

The Tigers weren’t prepared to rest on their early lead. In the top of the third, Spencer Torkelson singled. Then Kevin McGonigle got his second double of the game, lining one off the right field wall just short of a home run. Dingler struck out, but Parker Meadows then came up and hit a single into left, scoring two runs. Two outs followed, but the Tigers were up 6-0.

Tarik Skubal came out and continued to dominate against the Padres with another 1-2-3 inning, ending with a pretty interesting catch from Riley Greene just on the warning track.

Nick Pivetta’s day was—unsurprisingly—done after three innings. Ron Marinaccio came in from the bullpen to replace him and immediately showed better command, going through the Tigers in order. Skubal returned the favor, continuing to churn through the Padres lineup with another three-up, three-down inning.

In the top of the fifth with one out, McGonigle just kept having the greatest first game ever as he hit a little dribbler towards second but beat it out to first, collecting the first single of his major league career. Dingler then hit a two-run bomb, bringing the Tigers score up to 8-0.

DILLON 😤 pic.twitter.com/IunXFvXWgz

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 26, 2026

With two outs we got our first challenge of the season as Javier Baez disagreed (rightly) on a strike call, and it worked out to be a good thing as Baez then turned around and singled. The Tigers weren’t able to convert any additional runs, but it was still going pretty well. Guys, I’m not sure, but like, Tarik Skubal might be really good? He got another three outs in a row in the bottom of the fifth. Sorry, not sorry, Padres.

In the top of the sixth the next pitcher out of the Padres bullpen was Bradgley Rodriguez, who got the Tigers out in order. With one out in the bottom of the inning the Tigers turned to a play review. Fernando Tatis Jr. was called safe at first, narrowly beating out a throw from Baez, pulling Torkelson off the plate. The call was upheld and ruled an error for Baez. Skubal had his first truly rough moment of play since the first, as Bogaerts then doubled right down the left field line, and brought Tatis home, putting the Padres on the board for the first time in the game. Skubal turned things around, though, getting the next two outs. Six innings would be it for Skubal, going 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, on 74 pitches. And why not get the bullpen going with a 7-run lead.

The top of the seventh was a 1-2-3 inning for the Tigers, once again bested by Rodriguez. In the bottom of the inning Drew Anderson came out of the Tigers’ pen. Anderson was looking pretty good through two outs using his fairly lethal kick change, unfortunately Laureano got the best of him with a solo homer when he absolutely hung one in Laureano’s hot zone. Freddy Fermin walked, which brought out Chris Fetter to calm Anderson’s nerves a little. It’s been several years since Anderson pitched in America, stands to reason the nerves might run a little high. The chat worked all right as a groundout ended the inning with only the one run scoring.

David Morgan was next out of the Padres’ bullpen. The first out came on a high pop out at the plate to the catcher from Parker Meadows. Javier Baez got a one-out walk. Then, with two outs, Gleyber Torres singled, putting men on the corners. Unfortunately a Colt Keith lineout ended the inning, it was well hit, just in the exactly wrong location. In the bottom of the inning, Tatis got things started with a leadoff single against Anderson. Manny Machado drew a one-out walk, and that was it for Anderson, who was replaced by Tyler Holton. Holton did induce what looked like a double play, but the Tigers couldn’t appeal the safe call having already used and lost their review, so they had to settle for the one out. Miguel Andujar drew a walk to load the bases, creating the first really dangerous moment of the game for the Tigers. A pinch-hitting Nick Castellanos, in for Gavin Sheets, was up and hit a long fly for the final out of the inning.

Wandy Peralta was the next pitcher up for the Padres. With two outs, Kevin McGonigle proved he was an unstoppable force, hitting another single, giving him a four-hit day in his debut.

The Tigers weren’t able to turn his effort into another run, as Dingler hit a liner right back to the pitcher to end the inning. Will Vest came in to hopefully keep the Padres in check. He got two quick outs back-to-back. Vest collected the final out, and the Tigers had one heck of an Opening Day.

Final: Tigers 8, Padres 2

There it is, Kevin McGonigle makes history. Youngest Tigers player to have four hits and the second youngest in league history. (Delino DeShields) https://t.co/rOziu95HOqhttps://t.co/eOaZuKM8ZV

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) March 26, 2026