First Pitch - March 27th, 2026

🌟 Top prospects explode onto the scene
Carson Benge, JJ Wetherholt, Chase DeLauter, and Kevin McGonigle headline a massive Opening Day youth movement with instant impact.

💥 Mets 11, Pirates 7 — Mets erupt early, run Skenes out

🎉 Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 2 — Pages powers comeback on banner night

🔄 Cardinals 9, Rays 7 — Cards storm back with 8-run inning

🚀 Guardians 6, Mariners 4 — DeLauter’s historic 2-HR Opening Day lifts Cleveland

🎬 Must-See Moments
The biggest highlights and standout plays from around the league on Opening Day.

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YOUTH MOVEMENT: Top prospects show out right away on Opening Day

Opening Day always delivers, but this year felt a little different with how many young guys showed up ready to go. There were 20 Top 100 prospects on Opening Day rosters, and a bunch of them made an immediate impact.

Mets rookie Carson Benge wasted no time getting his first big league moment. He reached base three times and launched a home run for his first career hit, which got him a curtain call at Citi Field.

He wasn’t alone either. JJ Wetherholt crushed a 425-foot homer in his second at-bat and looked comfortable right away at the top of the Cardinals lineup. For the Guardians, Chase DeLauter went even bigger, launching two home runs in his regular season debut.

Kevin McGonigle might have had the best day of all. He finished with four hits and became just the second Tigers player since 1900 to do that in his MLB debut.

Justin Crawford also picked up a pair of hits and helped spark a big inning for the Phillies.

On the veteran side of things, Kyle Schwarber picked up right where he left off, launching a home run in his first at-bat of the season for the second straight year. Not long after, Mike Trout turned back the clock with a vintage moment of his own, breaking a scoreless tie in the seventh with a no-doubt homer.

Final Scores and Top Game Recaps below, Thanks for reading First Pitch and have an awesome Friday!

Mets 11, Pirates 7 — Mets erupt early, run Skenes out in Opening Day statement

This Mets lineup looks a lot different, and it didn’t take long to show up.

They fell behind 2-0 right away, but answered immediately with a five run first inning that completely flipped the game. Brett Baty cleared the bases with a triple, Marcus Semien followed with an RBI double, and just like that Paul Skenes was out of the game before the inning even ended.

From there, the Mets just kept piling it on. The at-bats never really stopped, they worked walks, forced pitching changes, and kept the pressure on all game long. By the time it was over, the Pirates had used six relievers and thrown nearly 200 pitches.

There were contributions everywhere too. Carson Benge homered for his first career hit, Francisco Alvarez went deep, Lindor scored three runs, and Luis Robert Jr. drove in a pair. It felt like every inning someone new stepped up.

The Pirates had some moments, with Brandon Lowe hitting two homers, but they were playing catch up the entire night after that first inning.

Mets

Pirates

Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 2 — Pages jumpstarts comeback as Dodgers raise banner

The Dodgers got their rings, raised the banner, and then took care of business.

It didn’t start clean. They fell behind 2-0 and couldn’t get much going early against Zac Gallen, but everything flipped in the fifth inning. That’s when Andy Pages stepped up and crushed a three run homer to give the Dodgers the lead, and from there it felt like the game opened up.

Once they got rolling, it didn’t stop. Will Smith added an RBI single in the same inning, then the Dodgers kept piling on late with Kyle Tucker driving in a run and Smith launching a two run homer to break it wide open.

Pages was the story though. After a rough finish to last season, he came out swinging on Opening Day with the go-ahead homer and added a big defensive play in center. That’s about as good of a response as you can ask for.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto handled the rest on the mound. Six innings, two runs, and kept things under control after the early damage.

The Dodgers lineup looked deep all night too. Eight of the nine starters picked up a hit, and even with Freddie Freeman going hitless, they still put up eight runs.

Dodgers

Diamondbacks

Cardinals 9, Rays 7 — Burleson caps wild 6th inning comeback for Cardinals

The Cardinals were staring at a 7-1 deficit after a rough top of the sixth, and it felt like things were getting out of hand. The Rays had all the momentum and were piling on runs, putting St. Louis in a big early hole.

In the 6th, the Cardinals came out swinging and didn’t stop. Hit after hit, smart baserunning, and a couple of sac flies slowly chipped away at the lead before the big moment. Alec Burleson stepped up and crushed a go-ahead two run homer to cap off an eight run inning that completely turned the game on its head.

It wasn’t just one guy either. JJ Wetherholt got things going earlier with his first career home run and added a sac fly during the rally, while contributions came from all over the lineup to keep the inning alive.

After that inning, the energy completely shifted. The Cardinals bullpen locked things down late and didn’t let the Rays recover after blowing the lead.

That sixth inning alone told you everything about the identity St. Louis wants this year. Constant pressure, putting the ball in play, and never letting up.

Cardinals

Rays

Guardians 6, Mariners 4 — DeLauter makes history with two homers in debut

The Guardians didn’t have to wait long to see what they might have in Chase DeLauter.

In his first regular-season at-bat, DeLauter jumped on a pitch from Logan Gilbert and sent it out to give Cleveland an early lead. That alone would’ve been a memorable debut, but he wasn’t close to done.

After the Mariners battled back and kept things tight, the Guardians came through with a big swing in the seventh. José Ramírez delivered a two run double to put Cleveland back in front, giving them the edge they needed late.

Then DeLauter showed up one more time.

In the ninth, he launched his second homer of the game to add insurance and cap off a historic debut. Two homers in your first game is one thing, but doing it in a tight Opening Day matchup made it even bigger.

The Mariners had their moments with multiple solo shots, including two from Dominic Canzone, but couldn’t string enough together late to catch back up.

Guardians

Mariners

⚡ The Miz Strikes Out 11 in Electric Opening Day Start

🔒 Sanchez Shuts Down the Rangers

🔥 Crochet Lets It Fly After Strikeout

🚀 Trout Launches No-Doubt Homer

🤯 Yankees Tried to Trade for Paul Skenes Last Year

💪 Soriano Dominates in Opening Day Start

😂 John Kruk Goes Off the Rails on Air

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