If you’re staring at a frozen backyard wondering when you can finally hear the crack of a bat again, you aren’t alone. Everyone wants to know when does mlb season start 2025, but the answer is actually a little more complicated than just one date on a calendar. Most fans circle late March and call it a day. They're wrong.
Actually, the 2025 season technically kicks off in the middle of March, and if you wait until the "official" North American Opening Day, you'll have already missed Shohei Ohtani making history in his home country.
The Real Start: Tokyo Series 2025
The party starts early this year. Major League Baseball is heading across the Pacific for the Tokyo Series, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
March 18 and March 19. Those are the dates. It’s a two-game set at the Tokyo Dome. For fans in the States, you’re going to need a lot of coffee because these games start at 6:10 a.m. ET (which is basically the middle of the night for West Coasters).
Why the Cubs and Dodgers? It’s a marketing masterstroke. You’ve got Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers going up against Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki for the Cubs. It is basically a Japanese national team reunion happening in MLB jerseys. These aren't exhibition games. They count. If the Dodgers win both, they’ll be 2-0 before most teams have even packed their bags to leave Florida or Arizona.
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Traditional Opening Day: March 27, 2025
For the rest of the league, the "real" start—or at least the domestic one—is Thursday, March 27, 2025.
This is actually the earliest "traditional" Opening Day in the history of the sport. Usually, we're looking at the very end of March or the first week of April. But MLB is aggressive this year. 28 out of the 30 teams are scheduled to play on this day.
Who's missing? The Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies. They’ve got a weird little scheduling quirk where they start their series on Friday, March 28. Part of that is because the Rays are playing in a temporary home this year—George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa—because Hurricane Milton absolutely shredded the roof of Tropicana Field.
Key Matchups to Watch on March 27
- Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees: This is the early afternoon headliner on ESPN. Watching Carlos Rodón try to navigate a Brewers lineup that always overachieves is a solid way to spend a Thursday.
- Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: The late-night cap. This is the Dodgers' home opener after returning from Japan.
- New York Mets vs. Houston Astros: This is a big one because it marks the official Mets debut for Juan Soto. People are still buzzing about that contract, and seeing him in Queens (well, in Houston for the opener) is going to be surreal.
Don't Forget Spring Training
If you’re a die-hard who tracks "when does mlb season start 2025" based on the first sign of life, then February 12 is your date. That’s when most pitchers and catchers report to camp.
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The Cubs and Dodgers report even earlier—February 9 for the Cubs—because they have to get their arms ready for that mid-March trip to Japan.
The first actual Spring Training games start February 20, 2025. These games are basically high-level practice, but for fans who have survived a long winter without baseball, seeing the green grass of the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues is a spiritual experience.
Why the 2025 Schedule Feels Different
MLB is leaning hard into "Rivalry Weekends" and special events this year.
Basically, they want every month to have a "tentpole" event. In May (the 16th through the 18th), the league is doing a Prime Interleague Rivalry weekend. We’re talking Yankees vs. Mets, Cubs vs. White Sox, and Dodgers vs. Angels all happening at the same time.
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Then you’ve got the Speedway Classic on August 2. The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds are going to play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. They’re literally building a diamond inside a NASCAR track. It’s wild. It’s a bit of a gimmick, sure, but it’s the kind of thing that keeps the long 162-game grind feeling fresh.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you want to stay on top of the 2025 season without getting blindsided by weird start times, here is what you should do right now:
- Sync your calendar for March 18: If you use Google Calendar or Outlook, manually add the Tokyo Series. Most automated team schedules won't alert you to the 6 a.m. start time until it’s too late.
- Check your RSN (Regional Sports Network): The broadcast landscape is a mess right now with Bally Sports and other networks shifting. Make sure you actually still have the channel that carries your local team before March 27.
- Book your "Opening Day" off now: Since March 27 is the earliest start ever, many people haven't realized it's a Thursday. If you're planning on hitting a sports bar or a stadium, get that PTO request in before your coworkers do.
- Watch the Rays' situation: If you’re a Tampa fan, remember you aren't at "The Trop." The atmosphere at the minor league Steinbrenner Field is going to be intimate and loud, but tickets will be much harder to get due to the smaller capacity.
The 2025 MLB season is shaping up to be one of the most international and experimental years we've seen in a decade. Whether you're watching the sunrise with the Tokyo Series or tailgating on March 27, the wait is almost over.