MLB Opening Day 2016: Start time, TV schedule and pitcher match-ups
By David Rouben
Here’s the info for every game on MLB Opening Day 2016.
Rejoice MLB fans, because Opening Day is upon us! Even though there are 162 games on the schedule, Opening Day is when a lot of people circle their calendars. Not many moments can top the first day of the season when the first pitch is thrown and the unofficial first day of summer starts.
This year, there will be three games to open up the MLB season, and every one of them promises to be great. With the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays, every team that’s playing made the postseason last year and projects to carry that success over to this year.
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Here’s a look at the Opening Day schedule courtesy of MLB.com, with the first game of the season starting at 1:05 before capping off at 8:37.
Sunday April 3, 2016
| Away Cardinals Blue Jays Mets | Home Pirates Rays Royals | Time (ET) 1:05 PM 4:05 PM 8:37 PM | Away Probable Wainwright (0-0) Stroman (0-0) Harvey (0-0) | Home Probable Liriano (0-0) Archer (0-0) Volquez (0-0) |
|---|
All games will be broadcast on ESPN with the exception of Blue Jays vs. Rays which will be on ESPN2.
The first Opening Day contest will be between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two NL Central foes will renew their rivalry once again in PNC Park. Whenever these two teams get together, it’s always a good game, and Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will be anxious to get back on the mound after missing nearly all of last season due to injury.
The next game will be an AL East contest between the division winning Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. While the Jays lost some key pieces in the offseason, their dominant offense remains mostly intact. It’s also an excellent pitching matchup – with Price gone, Marcus Stroman becomes the de facto ace. A lot of pressure to put on a 24-year-old, but he has risen to the occasion, most notably in last year’s playoffs. Chris Archer also put together one of the best pitching seasons in the league last year, and he’ll look to build on that momentum.
Opening Day often features the World Series winners, but they went above and beyond by scheduling a rematch of the World Series. The New York Mets will try to prove that last season wasn’t a one-off with the goal being a deep playoff run, while the Royals could be on the verge of something dynastic. The pitching matchup will see arguably Kansas’ most reliable playoff pitcher from last year go up against “The Dark Knight” Matt Harvey.
Even if your team isn’t playing, this promises to be an action-packed Opening Day, so be sure to tune into all three games.
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