MLB Opening Day 2024 scores, live updates: Full schedule, how to watch baseball games today

The 2024 Major League Baseball season officially began in South Korea last week, but Thursday marks Opening Day proper with all 30 teams originally scheduled to be in action.

While two games were preemptively postponed due to weather, there’s 13 more to watch on Thursday with scintillating matchups including Shohei Ohtani’s Dodger Stadium debut against the St. Louis Cardinals and a Houston Astros-New York Yankees rivalry game at Minute Maid Park.

General view of opening day at Minute Maid Park before the game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees.

Keep it here through the day for updates and highlights from around the league:

From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.

MLB Opening Day schedule

Here’s Thursday’s full schedule and results (all times Eastern):

• Braves at Phillies – 3:05 p.m. – postponed to Friday at 3:05

How to watch MLB Opening Day

Full TV listings for Opening Day can be found here and games can be streamed on MLB.tv or via fuboTV

Mike Trout hits first home run of 2024 MLB season

Three-time MVP Mike Trout hit a solo homer off Orioles starter Corbin Burnes in the top of the first inning at Camden Yards.

The Angels outfielder has averaged just 79 games played over past three seasons. Baltimore traded for the former Cy Young winner Burnes in the offseason, looking to repeat as AL East champions.

Orioles hold moment of silence after bridge collapse

BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Orioles held an eight-second moment of silence for the six workers killed in Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge before their Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards on Thursday.

The bridge, located less than 10 miles from Camden Yards, collapsed seconds after the shipping vessel Dali lost power, veered off course and struck the crossing. Four bodies have yet to be recovered.

Just before the moment of silence, a 30-by-42 foot flag from Baltimore’s Fort McHenry was lowered from the batter’s eye. It is a replica of the flag flown over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner

— Gabe Lacques

MLB 2024 predictions

Two of the six USA TODAY Sports baseball experts surveyed picked the Dodgers to win the World Series and two more picked Atlanta, with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles also receiving a vote.

• Bob Nightengale: Orioles over Atlanta
• Gabe Lacques: Atlanta over Mariners
• Steve Gardner: Dodgers over Mariners
• Scott Boeck: Padres over Astros
• Jesse Yomtov: Atlanta over Texas
• Borelli: Dodgers over Orioles

MLB Opening Day games postponed

All 30 teams were set to play in Major League Baseball’s formal 2024 Opening Day on Thursday, but inclement weather on the East Coast had already led to multiple games being postponed Wednesday afternoon.

The Mets-Brewers game at Citi Field (New York) and Phillies-Brewers contest at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia were both bagged about 24 hours before the scheduled first pitch.

Those teams all had a built-in off day after the scheduled Opening Day – for this very reason – and will instead play their first games of the season on Friday.

MLB fantasy rankings

A look at the top fantasy baseball players for 2024:

MLB power rankings

There are nearly two dozen legitimate contenders and a handful of what could be termed “super teams” as Major League Baseball’s Opening Day lurks on Thursday. In USA TODAY Sports’ first installment of MLB power rankings, it’s fair to ask: Can anyone go wire-to-wire?

The first to answer that question are the Atlanta Braves, who top our initial regular season rankings. Winners of 104 games a year ago, the Braves only got better this winter and boast the most players still firmly in the prime of their careers.

Here’s our top five:

1. Braves 
2. Dodgers 
3. Orioles 
4. Phillies 
5. Astros 

Read USA TODAY Sports’ full Opening day power rankings here

— Gabe Lacques

How Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal matured into Opening Day ace

Tigers starter Tarik Skubal underwent flexor tendon surgery, his second elbow surgery in six years, in August 2022. He returned to the Tigers in July 2023 — a late start to his fourth MLB season — and implemented adjustments he made to his mechanics, workout routine and pitch mix while rehabbing.

So far, so good. In 2023, Skubal posted a 2.80 ERA with 14 walks and 102 strikeouts across 80⅓ innings in 15 starts.

He was worth 3.3 fWAR from his July 4 return until the Oct. 1 season finale, tops among all pitchers over that span. He won AL Pitcher of the Month for his five-start performance in September, posting a 0.90 ERA with four walks and 43 strikeouts across 30 innings, capped by a scoreless streak of 11 innings that he’ll bring into his first Opening Day start.

– Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press

Reds Opening Day : Elly De La Cruz electrifies Cincinnati

“There’s a lot of electricity on this team,” Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz said.

The fastest team in the league last year led the majors in stolen bases and talked openly this spring about getting better on the bases – “We think we can be a lot better,” manager David Bell said.

That electric style of team play took a hit with extended-time injuries to center fielder TJ Friedl (wrist) and Matt McLain (shoulder), and the half-season suspension of rookie Noelvi Marte for steroids.

But the man with the fastest sprint time clocked in the majors last year – not to mention the hardest (99 mph) infield throws and the tape-measure power – is still standing 6-foot-6 tall in the middle of things for the Reds as they open the season.

And that speed, power and electricity look more important than ever with some of the key absences.

“I’ve got to be ready to go anyway,” said De La Cruz, who finished the spring strong.

— Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer

Yankees Opening Day vs. Astros, a familiar foe

HOUSTON – A brand new start.

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn’t move any quicker from the disappointment of last season, aiming toward a complete reset in 2024.

“I think everybody’s really excited,’’ said Judge as the Yankees left spring training in the days Thursday’s Opening Day against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

“It’s just been a great energy all camp… a different level of focus,’’ the Yankees captain said of an oft-spoken term among players who experienced last year’s fourth-place finish.

“I think everybody here is ready to get things rolling.’’

— Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB Opening Day 2024 scores, live updates: Full schedule, how to watch baseball games today