First Pitch - March 28th, 2026

🌟 Three days in and the season is already delivering
From breakout rookies to big-time moments, Opening Weekend just keeps getting better.

🔥 McGonigle wins at-bat of the year
A grind-it-out battle ends with a clutch knock that flips the game late.

😳 Jackson Merrill are you serious?!
Another electric moment from one of the game’s brightest young stars.

🥶 Giants bats stay ice cold
San Francisco still searching for offense after another shutout loss.

💥 Blue Jays 3, Athletics 2
Giménez walks it off in extras thriller

🎯 Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4
Tucker delivers late, Díaz slams door

⚔️ Yankees 3, Giants 0
Judge cashes in after ABS challenge

🐯 Tigers 5, Padres 2
McGonigle comes through in clutch eighth

I don’t know about you guys, but I had an absolute 10/10 time watching the games tonight at the local bar with a few cold ones. Maybe I’m biased, or maybe I’m just coping with the fact that the Giants still haven’t scored a run, but either way this has been a fantastic start to the MLB season.

We’re only three days in and somehow each day has been better than the last.

I’ve got full game recaps on my favorites down below, but let’s start with my top 3 moments from Friday:

🔥 McGonigle Battles in At-Bat of the Year

😳 Jackson Merrill Are You Kidding Me?!

🥶 Giants Bats Go Cold Again Early

Blue Jays 3, Athletics 2 — Giménez delivers walk-off as Blue Jays open with statement win

The Blue Jays had to earn this one late. After taking the lead earlier in the game, they saw it slip away in the ninth when Shea Langeliers tied things up with his second homer of the night. That could’ve easily flipped the momentum, but Toronto didn’t let it linger.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ernie Clement came through with a clutch double to keep things alive and put the winning run in scoring position. That set the stage for Andrés Giménez, who lined a walk-off single up the middle to bring home the winning run and send the crowd into it.

Giménez was all over this game. He also had a two run triple earlier that gave the Blue Jays their first lead, and then capped it off with the biggest swing of the night.

On the mound, Kevin Gausman set the tone early. He punched out 11 over six strong innings and kept the Athletics quiet for most of the game before things got interesting late.

It wasn’t perfect, but it looked a lot like the version of the Blue Jays that made their run last year. Timely hitting, strong pitching, and finding a way to finish.

Blue Jays

Athletics

Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 4 — Tucker and Díaz deliver late for Dodgers

The Dodgers didn’t have much going offensively for most of the night, but they came through when it mattered.

After jumping ahead early on a three run homer from Mookie Betts, things went quiet. The Diamondbacks battled back and tied it at 4-4, and for a while it felt like pitching had taken over completely.

That changed in the eighth. Alex Freeland got things started with a leadoff double, and after moving over to third, Kyle Tucker came through with a go-ahead RBI single to put the Dodgers back in front.

From there, it was all about the bullpen. After some early trouble from the starter, the Dodgers relievers settled things down and kept the game right where it was.

Then came Edwin Díaz. Making his debut with the Dodgers, he worked through the ninth, stranded the tying run, and locked down the save to finish it off.

Dodgers

Diamondbacks

Yankees 3, Giants 0 — Judge cashes in ABS challenge with towering homer

The Yankees didn’t need much offense with the way their pitching showed up.

The game stayed quiet early, but everything shifted in the sixth. After using the ABS system to overturn a strike call and extend his at-bat, Aaron Judge made it count with a two run homer to break things open.

Not long after, Giancarlo Stanton followed it up with a solo shot to give the Yankees some breathing room and put the game firmly in their control.

Cam Schlittler set the tone with a dominant start, and the bullpen took it the rest of the way to lock down a one hit shutout.

The Giants just couldn’t get anything going offensively. Strikeouts piled up, and they never found a way to build any real momentum against the Yankees staff.

Yankees

Giants

Tigers 5, Padres 2 — McGonigle comes through late as Tigers flip it in the eighth

The Tigers had to grind for this one. They were held in check for most of the night and trailed 2-1 going into the eighth, but everything changed once Detroit loaded the bases. Riley Greene tied it with an RBI single, then Kevin McGonigle stepped in and won a long battle with a two run single to give the Tigers their first lead of the night.

That was the swing they needed. Dillon Dingler followed with another RBI single, and just like that the Tigers had turned a tight game into a three run lead.

McGonigle was back in the middle of it again after his huge debut the day before. He only had one hit this time, but it was the biggest one of the game and capped the inning that changed everything.

On the mound, Framber Valdez gave Detroit a strong start and allowed just one earned run over six innings. From there, the bullpen took over and shut the door, with Kenley Jansen finishing it off in the ninth.

The Padres had chances, but couldn’t cash in enough of them, and once the eighth inning got away, there wasn’t much of a response.

Tigers

Padres

🚀 Vintage Mike Trout Returns

💪 Cole Young Steps Up in Mariners Victory

❤️ Vesia Honors His Daughter in Emotional Tribute

🙏 End of an Era: Jason Heyward Retires

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