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MLB Opening Day 2026: 15 starting pitcher matchups include 3 Cy Young Award winners and a World Series MVP

· Yahoo Sports

Opening Day for the 2026 Major League Baseball season premieres on Wednesday with the New York Yankees and San Francisco taking the field in a streaming exclusive on Netflix. Thursday brings 11 season openers for 22 more clubs, followed by the last three debuts on Friday.

With few exceptions, MLB teams also start their best pitcher on Opening Day. So we get to see 30 aces take the mound and the best will pitch against the best, which we don’t often see during the regular season because of starting rotations. That includes three Cy Young Award winners and one World Series MVP.

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Here are the pitching matchups for each of the 15 games that open the 2026 MLB season:

Fried put up career-best numbers in his first season with the Yankees and gets his first Opening Day start in pinstripes. Webb starts the season for the Giants for the fifth consecutive year.

Skenes begins his third MLB season as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner for what should be a much-improved Pirates team. Peralta makes his Mets debut, acquired in a trade after eight seasons with the Brewers.

Smith is the White Sox’s fifth different Opening Day starter in the past five seasons and faces his former organization. Misiorowski gets the nod for Milwaukee after a sensational rookie season during which his fastball was clocked at 104.3 mph.

Cavalli begins his first full MLB season after recovery from Tommy John surgery sidelined him until last August. Boyd gets his first Opening Day start for the Cubs in his second season with the team.

Coming off a career-best season, Ryan gets the Opening Day assignment for the second time in his Twins career, also earning the honor in 2022. Rogers is the fifth pitcher to start the season opener for the Orioles in the past five years.

Crochet makes his second straight Opening Day start for the Red Sox, finishing last season as the runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award. With Hunter Greene’s injury, Abbott was the obvious choice for the Reds based on last season’s performance.

Soriano gets his first Opening Day start, holding a 1.04 career ERA versus the Astros. Brown finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting after posting the best performance of his four-year MLB career.

Coming off his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award, Skubal makes his third Opening Day start in what could be his final season for the Tigers. Pivetta was the last Opening Day starter to be named, but was the obvious choice after the best season of his career.

Rasmussen gets his first Opening Day nod after leading Rays starting pitchers in ERA last season. Liberatore pitches his first-ever season opener against Tampa Bay, who made him its first-round draft pick in 2018.

Eovaldi starts his third consecutive Opening Day for the Rangers. Sánchez gets the season-opening call for the first time, signing a six-year, $107 million contract extension that confirms him as the Phillies’ ace.

Returning to the D-Backs on a one-year deal, Gallen starts Arizona’s opener for the fourth straight year. Yamamoto gets the honor for the second consecutive season after winning World Series MVP honors for his Game 7 performance against the Blue Jays.

Bibee was named the Guardians’ Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year, but missed last season’s opener due to food poisoning. Gilbert is pitching the Mariners’ opener for the second year in a row, beginning his sixth season with Seattle.

Severino draws Opening Day honors for the third time in his career, and second straight for the Athletics after an inconsistent 2025. Gausman will also start the season opener for a third time, his first with the American League champions.

Freeland starts his fifth straight season opener for the Rockies, extending the franchise record he set last year. Alcantara also holds the Marlins record for consecutive Opening Day starts, making his sixth after frequent trade rumors last season.

Ragans starts Kansas City’s opener for the third consecutive season, looking to rebound from groin and rotator cuff injuries in 2025. Opening Day starts are nothing new for Sale, who draws the assignment for the seventh time in his 15-year MLB career.

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