2023 MLB Opening Day Live Updates: Yanks, Braves, Mets, White Sox, Dodgers win
The 2023 MLB season kicked off on Thursday as all 30 teams were in action.
Aaron Judge opened the new season by doing what he did a lot last year. His Opening Day home run propelled the Yankees to a win over the Giants.
Elsewhere, the Astros' Opening Day winning streak was snapped at 10 with the White Sox pulling through in the ninth to beat the defending champs. Adley Rutschman had a five-hit day to lift the Orioles over the Red Sox, 10-9. George Springer also had a five-hit day to give the Blue Jays a 10-9 win over the Cardinals.
In National League action, the Dodgers looked a lot like they did in 2022, defeating Diamondbacks 8-2. The first game of the Padres' new loaded lineup didn't go the way they would've liked as they lost to the Rockies 7-2.
Finally, Shohei Ohtani did his thing on the mound and pitched six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. But the Angels gave up two runs in the eighth to lose to the Athletics, 2-1.
Here are the top plays from Opening Day!
FINAL: Colorado Rockies 7, San Diego Padres 2
X-man delivers in first Padres at-bat
After Manny Machado hit a game-tying sacrifice fly, Xander Bogaerts reached base in his first at-bat with the Padres by hitting a double.
Cron crushes it
C.J. Cron hit a three-run shot in the fifth to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead as all of Colorado first four runs were knocked in by the first baseman.
Back-to-back jacks
Cron went yard a second time in Thursday's game in the seventh inning. This time, Elehuris Montero followed up with a home run of his own to give the Rockies a 7-2 lead in the seventh.
FINAL: Oakland Athletics 2, Los Angeles Angels 1
Catching Trout
Esteury Ruiz made a diving grab in the first inning to make sure Mike Trout didn't get on base in his first at-bat of the season.
Ohtani got the heat
Shohei Ohtani pitched a 101 mph heater past Ramon Laureano for the strikeout to give him seven Ks in the first four innings.
Hunting for an unbelievable catch
Hunter Renfroe made a behind-the-back, no-look grab to prevent an extra-base hit that had Ohtani in amazement.
Tony time
Tony Kemp hit an RBI double in the eighth to help the A's score their first run of the game and tie it up. Later, Aledmys Diaz knocked Kemp in on a base hit to left to give Oakland a 2-1 lead.
FINAL: Seattle Mariners 3, Cleveland Guardians 0
Ty unties it!
Ty France finally broke the scoreless tie in the eighth inning by hitting an opposite-field home run to give the Mariners a 3-0 lead in the eighth.
FINAL: Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 2
Smith sends them home
Will Smith hit a two-RBI single to help the Dodgers score their first runs of the season and tie the game in the third.
Will-ing in some runs
Smith continued to knock in runners. In the fifth, his check-swing single scored a run to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Outman knocks one out
James Outman hit one out of the park for his first of likely many home runs at Dodger Stadium, extending Los Angles' lead to 7-2 late.
FINAL: Chicago White Sox 3, Houston Astros 1
Styled out for the ceremony
The Astros wore jerseys with gold numbers and their owner entered the field on a horse-drawn carriage with their two World Series trophies.
Unveil the banner!
The Astros' banner unveiling went smoothly and the fans mocked fans of the teams they faced in the playoffs last year.
A ‘Savage’ first pitch
Award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion opened the baseball season in Houston in a funny way when she threw out the first pitch.
Wild time!
Yordan Alvarez scored on a wide pitch to break the scoreless tie and give the Astros the lead in the seventh.
Having a Grand-al time
Yasmani Grandal sent the pitch into the right field bleachers to even the game up at 1-1 in the eighth.
Vaughn turned it on in the clutch
Andrew Vaughn knocked in two runs with his double in the ninth to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead before winning 3-2 to end the Astros' Opening Day winning streak.
FINAL: New York Yankees 5, San Francisco Giants 0
$360 million homer
Aaron Judge's first at-bat as captain of the New York Yankees was a solo home run to center in the bottom of the first.
This browser does not support the Video element.
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge crushed a solo shot to center field in his first at-bat of the season off of San Francisco Giants' pitcher Logan Webb.
Rookie on the bases
Yankees rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe walked in his first MLB at-bat and then stole second base.
More homers/runs
Gleyber Torres gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when he launched an opposite field, two-run homer to right.
This browser does not support the Video element.
The New York Yankees took a 3-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants after Gleyber Torres crushed a two-run home run to right field.
Catching gem
Yankees catcher Jose Trevino made a superb catch behind home plate on a pop-up that took him into the shade.
FINAL: Atlanta Braves 7, Washington Nationals 2
Into the books
Ronald Acuna Jr. singled to right field and then stole second base to begin the game.
Braves take early lead
Orlando Arcia got the Braves on the board in the top of the second with an RBI single to right. It sparked an eventual three-run inning for Atlanta.
Max Fried exits
The Braves starting pitcher was removed from the game in the bottom of the fourth with an apparent hamstring injury.
Comfort runs
Travis d'Arnaud doubled Atlanta's lead in the ninth with a two-run double to left-center field. d'Arnaud later scored, giving Atlanta a 7-2 lead.
What a catch
Victor Robles ended the top-half of the ninth with a remarkable catch at the center field wall.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Washington Nationals' Victor Robles made an incredible catch to get Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. out in the ninth inning.
FINAL: Chicago Cubs 4, Milwaukee Brewers 0
The new duo
The Chicago Cubs' new middle infield duo was on full display in the top of the third when Nico Hoerner and free agent signee Dansby Swanson turned a 4-6-3 double-play,
Swanson looking sharp
Swanson got his first hit as a Cub in the bottom of the third when he singled to right, driving in a run. A second runner scored after a throwing error, and the Cubs went on to score four runs in the inning.
FINAL: Baltimore Orioles 10, Boston Red Sox 9
Fear the Bird
Adley Rutschman got the Baltimore Orioles on the board in the top of the first, launching a Corey Kluber fastball over the right field wall.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman homered on his first swing of the 2023 season against the Boston Red Sox.
Urias goes boom
Boston evened up the score after Rutschman's homer, but Baltimore went back in front in the fourth when Ramon Urias blasted a two-run shot over the Green Monster. The Orioles went on to score two more runs in the inning.
The Rutschman show
The Orioles catcher had himself a game. After homering in the first, Rutschman hit a two-run double in the fifth and drove in another run in the eighth, giving Baltimore a 10-4 lead. Rutschman went 5-for-5 with four RBIs.
Boston scored three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to force extra innings.
FINAL: Tampa Bay Rays 4, Detroit Tigers 0
A screamer
Jose Siri drew first blood for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the third with a line-drive solo homer to left.
What a grab
Manuel Margot made a diving grab in right, potentially keeping two runs off the board in the seventh.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Manuel Margot helped the Tampa Bay Rays close out the seventh inning with a bang against the Detroit Tigers, thanks to an incredible diving catch.
Some breathing room
Wander Franco cleared the center field wall in the eighth, giving the Rays a 4-0 lead.
FINAL: Minnesota Twins 2, Kansas City Royals 0
The veteran getting ready
Twins strike first
Trevor Larnach and Donovan Solano drove in a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead.
FINAL: New York Mets 5, Miami Marlins 3
Max Scherzer looks ready to go
Building a lead
Brandon Nimmo drove in the first run of the game in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Francisco Lindor hit a sacrifice fly. Two batters later, Jeff McNeil drove in the New York Mets' third run.
Tie game
Luis Arraez doubled in the Miami Marlins' first run in the sixth. Two batters later, Garrett Cooper hit a game-tying two-run homer to center.
Back in front
The Mets regained the lead in the seventh when Nimmo doubled in two runs.
FINAL: Texas Rangers 11, Philadelphia Phillies 4
Electric start
Jacob deGrom struck out Trea Turner to begin his first outing for the Texas Rangers. He struck out two batters in the inning.
He knew it
Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer to right-center field in the top of the second to get the Philadelphia Phillies on the board.
This browser does not support the Video element.
The Philadelphia Phillies took an early lead over Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers after Alec Bohm launched a two-run home run.
Just keep running
Turner legged out an RBI triple in the third and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead.
Tie game
deGrom gave up five runs through 3.2 innings, but the Rangers got all the runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Jonah Heim doubled in two runs, and then Robbie Grossman hit a 3-run homer to tie the game at five, knocking Aaron Nola out of the game.
Texas scored four more runs after the pitching change.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Texas Rangers' Robbie Grossman blasted a game-tying three-run homer to right field off Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Aaron Nola in the fourth inning.
Flipped the script
The Rangers extended their lead to five runs in the fifth when Brad Miller punched out an opposite field two-run homer.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Brad Miller's two-run homer in the fifth inning helped the Texas Rangers extend its lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.
FINAL: Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Cincinnati Reds 4
They're ready
Just another long ball
Oneil Cruz obliterated a 101 mph fastball from Hunter Greene into the right field seats to even up the score at one apiece in the top of the second.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz smashed a home run off Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Hunter Greene with an exit velocity at 111 MPH.
Gone
The Pirates scored three runs in the fourth on two walks and a wild pitch. In the bottom half of the inning, Spencer Steer got a run back for the Cinncinnati Reds on a solo home run to center.
Running them in
Jason Vosler tripled down the right field line in the fifth, driving in two runs to tie the game at four.
FINAL: Toronto Blue Jays 10. St. Louis Cardinals 9
Adam Wainwright sings the National Anthem
This browser does not support the Video element.
The St. Louis Cardinals had a special performance of the national anthem on Opening Day, featuring pitcher Adam Wainwright.
Blue Jays up early
Toronto put three runs on the board in the top of the first, as Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk came through with RBI base hits.
Cutting into the lead
Tyler O'Neill cut Toronto's lead to one when he hit a two-run homer to right-center field in the third.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Tyler O'Neill helped the St. Louis Cardinals trim the deficit against the Toronto Blue Jays, thanks to his solo homer in the third inning. This was O'Neill's fourth consecutive opening day with a homer, tying the MLB record.
Cardinals tie it
The Blue Jays scored another run in the fourth, but Brendan Donovan evened up the score in the bottom half of the inning for the St. Louis Cardinals with a two-run homer to right.
Not on Nolan's watch!
Nolan Arenado came up in the clutch and knocked in the game-tying and the game-leading runs to give the Cardinals a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Springing to victory
George Springer's fifth hit of the day helped the Blue Jays tie the game up in the ninth before Vlad Guerrero knocked in the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly to give Toronto the Opening Day win.