Well, not for the Orioles. But the Dodgers and Cubs officially kick off the 2025 MLB season in the Tokyo Series this morning.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Don’t look now, but the 2025 MLB regular season starts today. Snuck up on you, didn’t it?
OK, so we’re still more than a week away from the Orioles — and 27 other teams — opening their seasons. For the Dodgers and Cubs, though, it’s game on. The two clubs are in Japan for the two-game Tokyo Series, the first games of 2025 that will count in the standings.
If the raucous, deafening atmosphere at the Tokyo Dome doesn’t get you excited about baseball’s return, nothing will. It’s a homecoming for the five Japanese stars who will be representing their MLB teams, led by Shohei Ohtani and the defending champion Dodgers. Three of the four starting pitchers scheduled for the series are former NPB standouts, with second-year MLBers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga facing off today and newly signed 23-year-old sensation Roki Sasaki set to make his MLB debut for Los Angeles tomorrow.
At the time this post is being published, the opening game will be an hour old, so tune in on Fox if you’re up early this morning. Both games are at 7:10 PM Tokyo time, which is 6:10 AM for those of us in the eastern United States and — oof — 3 in the morning on the west coast. Not ideal for fans in L.A., but that’s why DVRs exist.
Meanwhile, for the Orioles, the wait for Opening Day continues. Yesterday in Fort Myers, the O’s fielded a lineup consisting entirely of backups and non-roster players — and still trounced a Red Sox club full of regulars, 12-3. The Birds did the bulk of their damage with an eight-run explosion in the sixth inning, part of a 16-hit performance. Livan Soto and Vimael Machín, potentially vying for a utility infield spot if Gunnar Henderson starts the year on the IL, each delivered an RBI single. Daz Cameron had three hits, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. reached base twice but disappointingly did not steal any bases.
The Orioles are back in Sarasota tonight for a 6:05 game against the Blue Jays, with Charlie Morton on the mound for the Birds. There will be no TV or radio broadcast for either team, so let’s just hope the O’s look good in the box score.
Links
Hyde as season nears: ‘We’re not sure roster-wise where we are’; Orioles pound Red Sox, 12-3 – BaltimoreBaseball.com
There was a scary moment in yesterday’s game when Coby Mayo took a fastball off the wrist, bringing back painful memories of Nick Markakis and CC Sabathia. Fortunately, Mayo seems to be OK. Crisis averted.
Cedric Mullins could be about to start his last year as an Oriole – The Baltimore Banner
Much like Anthony Santander, I understand from a baseball standpoint why the O’s will likely move on from Cedric Mullins after this season, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be sad about it.
Updating Henderson and Rodriguez, Mayo and Vázquez leave game after being hit by pitches (O’s win 12-3) – School of Roch
It’s sure starting to feel like Gunnar won’t be ready to start the season with the Orioles. Hopefully his absence will be a short one, or the O’s are in big trouble.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Six former Orioles have March 18 birthdays, most notably Trey Mancini (33), the fan-favorite slugger who made an inspiring return from cancer in 2021. Mancini, who last played in the majors in July 2023, is attempting a comeback with the Diamondbacks and is crushing it in spring training with a 9-for-21 performance. We’ll all be rooting for him to hit his way onto Arizona’s roster.
Other ex-Orioles born on this date include right-handers Chris Vallimont (28) and Randy Miller (72) — each of whom appeared in just one game as an Oriole — along with catcher Craig Tatum (42), outfielder Gerónimo Berroa (60), and the late lefty Dick Littlefield (b. 1926, d. 1997) of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.
On this day in 1974, the Orioles played an exhibition game against the Rangers in which legendary country singer Charley Pride joined the Texas roster for a day, picking up a single in two at-bats. The 40-year-old Pride had previously played in the Negro Leagues. In terms of country music superstars playing baseball, Pride fared better than Garth Brooks, who went a combined 1-for-39 in spring training with the Padres and Mets in 1999 and 2000.