Feb 24, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Journeyman outfielder Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes opened the 1994 season for the Chicago Cubs by hitting three homers off Dwight Gooden. He hit five homers in his final 94 games of the strike-shortened campaign.
Four years later, the New York Yankees began the season by being limited to five hits in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Angels. One hundred and twenty-five wins later, the Yankees were World Series champions and one of the greatest single-season teams of all time.
So Opening Day, as festive and eagerly awaited as it is, might not be a harbinger of things to come. But then again, some Opening Day results may be more revealing than others. Here are six thoughts from Thursday’s stateside openers, ranked in order from silliest to most serious.
1. Juan Soto stinks
The $765 million man ended the New York Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros by striking out as the potential go-ahead run. A nation of Mets fans did their best Stewie Griffin imitation while counting the number of days until the end of the 2039 season. (Soto also singled and drew two walks, giving him a .600 on-base percentage that might not drop all that much over the next six months.)
2. The Chicago White Sox rule
Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke (59) delivers against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Sure, all they did was beat the forever down-bad Angels 8-1. But with the victory, the White Sox—who, as you may remember, set a modern record for losses by going 41-121 last season—are over .500 for the first time since March 30, 2023. Baby steps on the South Side.
3. Austin Wells is the greatest leadoff hitter of all time
Aug 30, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) hits a two run home run during the third inning against St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (12) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Wells, the first Yankees catcher in the 123-year history of the franchise to bat leadoff in a game, became the first catcher to lead off an Opening Day game with a homer when he hit Freddy Peralta’s third pitch of the game into the ever-friendly right-field seats at Yankee Stadium. He now has more Opening Day leadoff homers than the late great Rickey Henderson. How great is baseball?
4. Emmanuel Clase might be cooked
Jun 25, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) celebrates with Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) after the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Some of us are old enough to remember when iconic Yankees closer Mariano Rivera followed up his infamous back-to-back blown saves in the 2004 AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox by surrendering six runs as he blew consecutive save opportunities against the reigning World Series champion Red Sox to open the 2005 season. Rivera, 35 at the time, allowed 12 runs the rest of the season, which he ended with a career-best 1.38 ERA.
So the 27-year-old Clase—whose brilliant 2024 ended with a nightmarish postseason in which he posted a 9.00 ERA, blew a save chance in the ALCS and served up three homers in seven appearances—might be just fine despite blowing the save and allowing the tying run in the ninth inning of the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-4, 10-inning win over the Kansas City Royals. But Clase’s velocity was down this spring, and the last decade is littered with burnt-out closers who were once identified as the next Rivera.
5. The Toronto Blue Jays are in trouble
Mar 20, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) singles against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images After a last-place finish and a winter in which they made unsuccessful bids to sign Soto or extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., few teams needed a good Opening Day more than the Blue Jays—who became just the fourth team in the last 10 years to lose by 10 or more runs on Opening Day when they were torched 12-2 by the Baltimore Orioles.
The rough start by the usually reliable José Berríos was a reminder the Jays are counting on a rotation filled with pitchers on the wrong side of 30. With Guerrero and Bo Bichette in their walk years and the heat on the leadership triumvirate of president Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider, it could get very late very fast in Toronto.
6. Baseball’s pitching problem is getting worse
Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports The stateside Opening Day was another reminder teams are churning through pitchers at an unsustainable rate. Starters lasted an average of 5.27 innings and 86 pitches Thursday. Only nine hurlers threw at least 90 pitches, and none made it to the century mark. On Opening Day 2015, starters averaged 6.18 innings and 93 pitches per game, with 21 pitchers reaching 90 pitches and six getting to at least 100 pitches.
Asking starters to go as hard as they can for as long as they can and expecting relievers to do the same has only led to more injuries and a higher rate of turnover. But like Ned Flanders’ parents, baseball’s brilliant executives have tried nothing to fix the problem, and they’re all out of ideas, man.
