Baseball fans have a reason to celebrate as the 2025 MLB regular season kicked off earlier than ever. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers launched the season with a two-game Tokyo Series, beginning on Tuesday, March 18. While most teams are still wrapping up spring training, the Cubs and Dodgers jumped straight into regular-season action overseas.
The reigning champion Dodgers secured a 4-1 victory in Game 1, thanks to an impressive performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and timely hitting by Shohei Ohtani.
When is MLB Opening Day 2025?
For the Cubs and Dodgers, Opening Day technically took place on March 18 in Tokyo, with a second game scheduled for March 19. Both teams will return to the United States afterward to conclude spring training.
For the remaining 26 teams, Opening Day will be on Thursday, March 27, with 14 games scheduled. The first game of the day will see the Milwaukee Brewers take on the New York Yankees at 3:05 p.m. ET, followed closely by the Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays at 3:07 p.m. ET.
Despite having played in Tokyo, the Cubs and Dodgers will also resume action on March 27 as part of the domestic Opening Day lineup.
Rockies and Rays Start on March 28
The Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays are the only teams that will not play on March 27. Their regular-season opener is scheduled for Friday, March 28, at 4:10 p.m. ET. The delay comes after Hurricane Milton caused damage to Tropicana Field in October, prompting the Rays to relocate their home games to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for the 2025 season.
What is the MLB Tokyo Series?
The Tokyo Series is part of MLB’s continued effort to grow the game internationally. The Cubs and Dodgers, both featuring prominent Japanese stars, were chosen for this year’s overseas opening series.
Full MLB Opening Day 2025 Schedule
As noted, Opening Day in the U.S. features a packed slate of games on March 27. Here’s the full schedule (all times in Eastern Time):
- 3:05 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at New York Yankees
- 3:07 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays
- 4:05 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox
- 4:05 p.m. – Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals
- 4:10 p.m. – Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
- 4:10 p.m. – New York Mets at Houston Astros
- 4:10 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds
- 4:10 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
- 4:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
- 4:10 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins
- 4:15 p.m. – Minnesota Twins at St. Louis Cardinals
- 7:10 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN)
- 10:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks
- 10:10 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners
On March 28, the Rockies and Rays will play their first regular-season game at 4:10 p.m. ET.
MLB Opening Day 2025 Starting Pitchers
Several teams have already announced their starting pitchers for Opening Day. Here’s a look at the confirmed matchups:
- Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs. Carlos Rodón (NYY)
- Zach Eflin (BAL) vs. José Berríos (TOR)
- Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX)
- Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs. MacKenzie Gore (WAS)
- Tanner Bibee (CLE) vs. Cole Ragans (KCR)
- Clay Holmes (NYM) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU)
- Logan Webb (SFG) vs. Hunter Greene (CIN)
- Chris Sale (ATL) vs. Michael King (SDP)
- Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) vs. Sean Burke (CWS)
- Paul Skenes (PIT) vs. Sandy Alcantara (MIA)
- Pablo López (MIN) vs. Sonny Gray (STL)
- Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. TBD (LAD)
- TBD (CHC) vs. TBD (ARI)
- Luis Severino (OAK) vs. Logan Gilbert (SEA)
- TBD (COL) vs. Shane McClanahan (TBR)