MLB Opening Day schedule 2023: What times and TV channels are today’s baseball games on?

Congratulations, you made it. Baseball’s off-season is over and we’re full steam ahead into Thursday’s opening day.

In just a few hours, pitchers from MLB’s 30 teams will be taking to the hill with renewed optimism and renewed hope that this could be *their* year.

There have been many changes – all of which we’ll discuss here – and there’s perhaps more excitement among fans than ever.

Here, DailyMail.com will walk you through everything you need to know ahead of opening day including where to watch, what all the big games are, who’s pitching for each team and some of the best bets…

DailyMail.com walks you through everything you need to know ahead of opening day

First of all the schedules and where to watch…

Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals – 1:05 p.m. EST (Bally SE, MASN, MLB Network)

San Francisco Giants @ New York Yankees – 1:05 p.m. EST (NBCS Bay Area, YES, MLBN)

Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox – 2:10 p.m. EST (MASN2, NESN)

Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs – 2:20 p.m. EST (Bally Wisconsin, MARQ)

Detroit Tigers @ Tampa Bay Rays – 3:10 p.m. EST (Bally Detroit, Bally Sun, MLBTV)

Philadelphia Phillies @ Texas Rangers – 4:05 p.m. EST (Bally New Orleans, Bally Oklahoma, Bally Southeast, Bally Southwest Xtra, ESPN+)

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cincinnati Reds – 4:10 p.m. EST (ATTSN Pittsburgh, Bally Ohio)

Colorado Rockies @ San Diego Padres – 4:10 p.m. EST (ATTSN Rocky Mountains, Bally San Diego)

Toronto Blue Jays @ St. Louis Cardinals – 4:10 p.m. EST (Sportsnet, Bally Mid West)

Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals – 4:10 p.m. EST (Bally Kansas City, Bally North)

New York Mets @ Miami Marlins – 4:10 p.m. EST (SNY, MLB Network, Bally Florida)

Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros – 7:08 p.m. EST (ESPN, TSN4, TVA Sports)

Los Angeles Angels @ Oakland Raiders – 10:07 p.m. EST (Bally West, NBCSCA, MLBN)

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers – 10:10 p.m. EST (Bally Arizona, SNLA)

Cleveland Guardians @ Seattle Mariners – 10:10 p.m. EST (Bally Great Lakes, Root Sports, MLB Network)

The New York Yankees open the 2023 season against the San Francisco Giants in the Bronx

Who is pitching?

Max Fried vs Patrick Corbin: Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals – 1:05 p.m. EST

Logan Webb vs Gerrit Cole: San Francisco Giants @ New York Yankees – 1:05 p.m. EST

Kyle Gibson vs Corey Kluber: Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox – 2:10 p.m. EST

Corbin Burnes vs. Marcus Stroman: Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs – 2:20 p.m. EST

Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Shane McClanahan: Detroit Tigers @ Tampa Bay Rays – 3:10 p.m. EST

Aaron Nola vs. Jacob deGrom: Philadelphia Phillies @ Texas Rangers – 4:05 p.m. EST

Mitch Keller vs. Hunter Greene: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cincinnati Reds – 4:10 p.m. EST

German Marquez vs Blake Snell: Colorado Rockies @ San Diego Padres – 4:10 p.m

Alek Manoah vs Miles Mikolas: Toronto Blue Jays @ St. Louis Cardinals – 4:10 p.m. EST

Pablo Lopez vs. Zack Greinke: Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals – 4:10 p.m. EST

Max Scherzer versus Sandy Alcantara: New York Mets @ Miami Marlins – 4:10 p.m. EST

Dylan Cease vs. Framber Valdez: Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros – 7:08 p.m. EST

Shohei Ohtani vs. Kyle Muller: Los Angeles Angels @ Oakland Raiders – 10:07 p.m. EST

Zac Gallen vs Julio Urias: Arizona Diamondbacks @ Los Angeles Dodgers – 10:10 p.m. EST

Shane Bieber vs. Luis Castillo: Cleveland Guardians @ Seattle Mariners – 10:10 p.m. EST

Max Scherzer meets Sandy Alcantara in a pitching matchup for the Mets’ first game

Games to watch out for

Shohei Ohtani, the unicorn of the LA Angels

Shohei Ohtani, who just led Japan to the WBC crown from the mound against LA Angels teammate Mike Trout, is hoping to repeat his form – this time on the same team as Trout.

The Angels pitcher/designated hitter, who was tipped as an early favorite to steal the American League MVP title from Yankees hit star Aaron Judge, is something of a unicorn.

All eyes will be on the right-hander’s evil pitch as he makes his second straight start on Opening Day to beat the Aces.

Houston, do we have to take off again?

The Astros have been the dominant force in the American League since they completed their controversial rebuild in the mid-2010s, most recently blowing away the Yankees with a clean win over the ALCS.

It’s more of the same this year, though he lost No. 1 starter Justin Verlander to the Mets by free hand.

All eyes will be on the reigning champions as they attempt to start their World Series defense against the Chicago White Sox.

After a WBC win with Japan, LA Angels unicorn Shohei Ohtani is the early MVP favorite

Can Aaron Judge keep bombing it in the Bronx?

AL MVP Aaron Judge had a memorable 2022, breaking Rodger Maris’ home run record at 62 in the regular season.

The Yankees’ star slugger was rewarded with a new nine-year, $360 million deal to stay in the Bronx and captain the only franchise he ever really wanted to play for.

Judge and the Bronx Bombers will have an interesting opening-day matchup when they take on the San Francisco Giants — the very team that nearly stole him in free hands the offseason.

The 1.80m star is hoping to score points against his former admirers, but can he give Aaron Boone’s team a perfect start as they try to go one step further this season?

Mets mega-money moves will pay off

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen handed big money to the winner, adding names like Justin Verlander, Brandon Nimmo and Kodai Senga.

However, they lost Edwin Diaz indefinitely after the Star Relief pitcher sustained an unusual knee injury at the WBC. Undeniably, the Mets’ chances of bringing home a title for the first time since 1986 have fallen due to Diaz’s long-term absence, but the Mets still have plenty of stars on their roster.

It will be interesting to see if the Mets’ big investments pay off and the team that Cohen carefully assembled can come together to give the franchise a decent shot at the World Series.

Aaron Judge will be looking to repeat his historic 2022 season in which he broke the HR record

What rule changes are there?

Well, there was a lot… here’s a quick(ish) rundown of exactly what changed for the start of the 2023 season.

PITCH CLOCK: The pitch clock aims to speed up the pace of play by eliminating downtime between pitches. Players have 30 seconds to continue play between batters. Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds without an on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner. The pitcher must begin his delivery before the clock runs out. After a pitch, the clock restarts if the pitcher recovers the ball, the catcher and batter are in the circle around home plate, and play is otherwise allowed to resume.

RESTRICTIONS ON KRU BREAKOUTS: Pitchers are only allowed to disengage from the pitching rubber twice per plate appearance – either to request a timeout or to attempt a pickoff throw. After a pitcher uses his two disengagements, he can still attempt a pickoff, but it’s better to be successful. If the baserunner comes back safely, a block is scored and the runner advances. If a Runner Advances during a Plate Appearance, the disengagement limit is reset. Mound visits, injury timeouts, and offensive team timeouts do not count as disengagements.

Added a pitch timer to improve speed and reduce dead time in games in the upcoming season

INFIELD MOVEMENT LIMITS: Infield shifting — placing three or more infielders on one side of second base, usually with one in outfield — has been a popular trend over the past decade, and many believe it has contributed to a decline in batting averages. The new rule states that all four infielders must have both feet within the perimeter of the infield and two infielders must be on each side of second base when a pitch is delivered.

LARGER BASE: New, larger bases have been introduced to improve player security and modestly encourage more attempts at stolen bases. The bases are now 18 inches square instead of 15 inches square. Home plate is now three inches closer to first and third base, while the corner bases are now 4 1/2 inches closer to second base.

The best bets from across the league

Orioles at Red Sox becomes the opening game with the most points: +650 at DraftKings

Gemini as the highest scoring team on opening day: +1300 at DraftKings

Aaron Judge Repeats As MLB Home Run Leader: +550 Favorite At BetMGM

Shohei Ohtani wins AL MVP: +200 favorite at SI Sportsbook