MLB Opening Day 2024 is now in the books and some teams had days to remember while others had afternoons and evenings to forget. One game won’t determine how good or bad a team will be but every squad wants a W to start the season. Let’s take a look at who were the biggest winners and losers from MLB Opening Day 2024.
Winners: Cincinnati Reds continue strong play from 2023
The Cincinnati Reds were one of the best stories in 2023 for their shocking win streak, the development of some special prospects, and being in the hunt for a playoff spot late into the season. There are certainly some in and outside the fanbase that fear last year may have been a fluke.
However, in game one of the season, they showed that they still are for real as they blew the doors off the Washington Nationals in an 8-2 MLB Opening Day 2024 victory. It was the perfect start for a team hunting for a postseason spot this season.
Losers: Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays had a rough afternoon on Opening Day. Not only were they smashed by division rivals the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 8-2, but it was revealed that Wander Franco was officially put on paid administrative leave until June. So the young star won’t be coming back any time soon, if at all, to improve their roster.
It was a disastrous day for a season where they may have a tough time competing in a very deep AL East.
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Winners: Detroit Tigers and the climb to respectability
After some horrible seasons, the Detroit Tigers returned to being a competitive team in 2023. Heading into MLB Opening Day 2024 there is hope the team and their young talent could try and compete for a Wild Card spot in 2024. So far, so good as they posted their first win of the year, 1-0 over the Chicago White Sox, and a couple of their up-and-comers performed well in a high-pressure opening day on the road.
Winners: Los Angeles Dodgers and their scary lineup
The top three of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup is a scary trio and they showed it Thursday in a dominant 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman all got on base multiple times and already looked in midseason form just three games into the season. This is going to be a terrifying batting order in 2024.
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Losers: Mets, Braves, Brewers and Phillies postponements
Four fanbases were forced to wait another day to see their favorite teams open the 2024 MLB season. Opening Day is a baseball holiday and is looked forward to each year by diehard fans. So for New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies fans on MLB Opening Day 2024, they had to sit at home or work on a rainy day and missed out on all the fun other fans were having.
Winners: San Diego Padres
After trading Juan Soto and losing Blake Snell in free agency, the expectations plummeted for the San Diego Padres. Well, nobody told them on Thursday as they scored a big 6-4 win over rivals the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have stolen some of the buzz from the Padres but on this day the Pads were the team that looked like a playoff contender in 2024.
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Losers: Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels lost Shohei Ohtani in free agency and after a whole bunch of rumors added no impact players during the offseason. That bad juju continued on MLB Opening Day 2024 as they were pushed around by the scary good Baltimore Orioles. The Angels ended the day as an ugly afterthought as little is expected of them and they were the lamb to the opening day Orioles slaughter.
Winners: New York Yankees and Juan Soto
There is a lot of buzz around the New York Yankees after they added All-Star Juan Soto. On Opening Day they had the tough luck of having to go into Houston and trying to get a win, and Soto and the team did exactly that. The best part is the impending free agent got on base three times, knocked in an RBI, and showed his defense by saving their lead by throwing out a runner at home late in the game. It was a very positive day for the Yankees.
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Losers: Houston Astros for falling to a hated rival
The Houston Astros will be in the hunt for the division title and a top seed in the AL in 2024, but losing on Opening Day always stings. Especially at home and to the hated Yankees. While the 5-4 loss will be forgotten about in a few days, it was still a disappointment first day of the new season for the Astros.
Winners: Baltimore Orioles and their immense potential
There is a whole bunch of hype around the Baltimore Orioles after a 101-win season in 2023. After proving they can reach the playoffs, now the expectations are much higher and the team is thinking World Series this year. On MLB Opening Day 2024, the immense potential of the team was on full display as new ace Corbin Burnes was dynamite in his regular season debut and Adley Rutschman — the new face of the franchise — starred on day one of a potential-rich season in Baltimore.