Baseball is back. Honestly, that's all some of us need to hear after the long winter, but this year isn't your typical "throw the ball and hope for the best" kind of opener. The MLB season start 2025 is actually split into two distinct parts, and if you aren't paying attention, you might miss the biggest stars in the game playing while you’re still asleep.
It starts in Tokyo. Then it hits the states.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs actually got things moving way before the "traditional" Opening Day. They faced off at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19, 2025. It was a massive deal, mostly because you had Shohei Ohtani returning to Japan as a World Series champion. Plus, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga made it a historic moment for Japanese fans. But for everyone else? The real chaos begins on March 27, 2025.
When the MLB Season Start 2025 Really Hits High Gear
March 27 is the date you need to circle. It’s a Thursday. It’s also a massive 14-game slate where 28 out of the 30 teams are in action. Why only 28? Well, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies have to wait until Friday, March 28.
The Rays are in a weird spot this year. Hurricane Milton absolutely trashed Tropicana Field, so they’re playing their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. That’s the Yankees' spring training home. It’s going to be intimate, probably a bit hot, and definitely unlike any MLB season we've seen in recent memory.
Must-Watch Matchups for Opening Day
If you're looking for where to point your remote, here are a few standouts:
- Brewers at Yankees: Carlos Rodón gets the nod for New York because Gerrit Cole is sidelined.
- Tigers at Dodgers: You get Tarik Skubal vs. Blake Snell. That’s a Cy Young winner matchup right out of the gate.
- Pirates at Marlins: Paul Skenes. Need I say more? The guy is electric, and seeing him go against a healthy Sandy Alcantara is basically pitching porn for stat nerds.
- Mets at Astros: Juan Soto’s first real game in a Mets uniform. That’s going to be weird for Yankees fans to watch, but it’s the reality of the 2025 landscape.
The Rule Changes You’ll Actually Notice
MLB isn't done tinkering with the game. They sort of have this obsession with "pace of play," but the 2025 changes are more about tightening the screws on existing rules.
First, the shift violation penalty got teeth. If a fielder cheats and stands where they aren't supposed to (you need two infielders on either side of second base), and then they're the one who touches the ball? The batter just gets first base. Period. It's an error on the fielder, and everyone moves up. No more "maybe it counts, maybe it doesn't."
Also, they’re getting aggressive about base-running abandonment. If a guy overruns second or third just to try and trick the system on a force play, the replay officials can now just call him out. It’s basically the "don't be a jerk" rule for runners.
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The Robo-Umps are Lurking
They aren't in the regular season yet. Don't panic. But during Spring Training 2025, MLB tested the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) in about 60% of the games. It’s a rectangular zone—443 square inches—and it doesn’t care about "framing." Pitchers who live on the corners love it; hitters who like the high heat are going to have to adjust. We might see this in the big leagues by 2026, so 2025 is basically the final dress rehearsal.
Key Dates You Can't Ignore
Once the MLB season start 2025 is behind us, the calendar gets crowded fast.
- May 16-18: Rivalry Weekend. This is a new-ish concept where almost every series is an Interleague rivalry. Think Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, and Dodgers-Angels all happening at once.
- July 15: The All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta.
- August 2: The Speedway Classic. The Braves and Reds are playing at Bristol Motor Speedway. Yes, a race track. It’s going to be absurdly large and probably very loud.
- September 28: The regular season ends.
The schedule is "balanced" now, which basically means you see everyone. Every team plays every other team at least once. It’s better for the fans, honestly. You don't have to wait three years to see a superstar come to your local park.
Actionable Steps for the 2025 Season
If you want to actually keep up without losing your mind, do these three things right now:
- Check your RSN (Regional Sports Network): With the whole Diamond Sports/Bally Sports bankruptcy mess still lingering, where you watch your local team might have changed. Some teams are moving to direct-to-consumer streaming.
- Download the MLB ProTabs update: If you’re a real nerd, you can see the same pitch data the players see in the dugout. It shows exactly where that "strike" actually landed.
- Set alerts for the Tokyo Series highlights: Even if you missed the live 6:00 AM ET starts, the Yamamoto vs. Ohtani storylines are going to dominate the first month of the season.
The 2025 season is about transition—new stadiums (for the Rays and A’s in Sacramento), new superstars in new jerseys, and a game that’s moving faster than ever. Just grab a hot dog and try to keep up.