Hope springs eternal. And for maybe the only time all year, all 30 teams have hope.
In spring training, it's easy for just about anyone to dream of hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy at the end of the season. It won't take long for those dreams to be dashed for some teams, but that could still provide an exciting ride for baseball fans.
The Rangers are preparing to start the season as reigning champs after picking up the franchise's first title in 2023. With their win over the Diamondbacks, the Rangers eliminated themselves from the list of MLB franchises to have never won a World Series title. The Brewers, Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies still sit on that list.
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Repeating won't be easy, as everyone will have their sites set on taking down the Rangers in 2024.
One could argue baseball fans will have two Opening Days this year. The Dodgers and Padres will begin the season in Seoul, South Korea, for the Seoul Series from March 20-21. Those games will be played before spring training contests officially wrap up, yet they will count toward the Dodgers' and Padres' 162-game regular seasons. All eyes will certainly be on that highly anticipated series as the Dodgers, fresh off maybe the most eventful offseason in MLB history, will roll out Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team's two newest stars.
Those might be the first games of the year, but they won't technically count as "Opening Day," as the other 28 teams will be watching from home like everyone else. Here's when the season will officially begin.
When is MLB Opening Day 2024?
- Date: Thursday, March 28
The official Opening Day in MLB is scheduled for Thursday, March 28, when all 30 teams are scheduled to play. The first game of the day will be the Brewers at Mets, which is slated to begin at 1:10 p.m. ET. The day will run through 10:10 p.m. ET, when the Rockies at Angels and Red Sox at Mariners will compete the Opening Day schedule.
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Of course, the first actual pitch of the regular season will be thrown at 6:05 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 20, when the Dodgers and Padres play in Seoul. San Diego will be considered the home team. The next game will be at 6:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 21, and this time the Dodgers will be the home team. Both games will be carried on ESPN.
There will likely be several nationally-broadcast games on Opening Day, but currently the only one scheduled to be broadcast across the country is Cubs at Rangers, which begins at 7:35 p.m. ET.
MLB Opening Day schedule
Here's a look at all the games taking place on Opening Day and the following day of the season. All times are Eastern.
Thursday, March 28
| Game | Time (ET) |
| Brewers at Mets | 1:10 p.m. |
| Angels at Orioles | 3:05 p.m. |
| Braves at Phillies | 3:05 p.m. |
| Nationals at Reds | 4:10 p.m. |
| Giants at Padres | 4:10 p.m. |
| Cardinals at Dodgers | 4:10 p.m. |
| Blue Jays at Rays | 4:10 p.m. |
| Twins at Royals | 4:10 p.m. |
| Tigers at White Sox | 4:10 p.m. |
| Pirates at Marlins | 4:10 p.m. |
| Yankees at Astros | 4:10 p.m. |
| Cubs at Rangers (ESPN) | 7:35 p.m. |
| Guardians at Athletics | 10:07 p.m. |
| Rockies at Diamondbacks | 10:10 p.m. |
| Red Sox at Mariners | 10:10 p.m. |
Friday, March 29
| Game | Time (ET) |
| Blue Jays at Rays | 6:50 p.m. |
| Pirates at Marlins | 7:10 p.m. |
| Yankees at Astros | 8:10 p.m. |
| Rockies at Diamondbacks | 9:40 p.m. |
| Guardians at Athletics | 9:40 p.m. |
| Red Sox at Mariners | 9:40 p.m. |
| Giants at Padres | 9:40 p.m. |
| Cardinals at Dodgers | 10:10 p.m. |