Opening Day Winners/Losers

After months of waiting, the Major League Baseball regular season has finally arrived. Opening day presents an opportunity for optimism. It’s a chance for the good teams to prove they are for real, and the bad teams to start a surprise run to the postseason.

But not every team can fulfill that promise. Half the teams that play on opening day have to lose. It’s inevitable.

In the grand scheme of things, this means little. Over a 162-game season, one game isn’t enough to draw definitive conclusions. The Chicago White Sox probably don’t have the best offense in baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t going to go scoreless the entire season.

That’s not going to stop us from picking the winners and losers from opening day, though. It might be just one game, but it’s a pretty big one. Every fanbase wants their team to get off to a strong start, so they place extra importance on the first game of the season.

Here’s who we think came through and faltered during the first game on the 2018 Major League Baseball season.

WINNER: GIANCARLO STANTON
Too obvious? Stanton, in his first game with the New York Yankees, Stanton proved he’ll be just as dangerous as advertised. He homered twice (one came off the bat at 117 mph), had an RBI double and drove in four runs. Yep, that’ll do. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays in convincing fashion behind a strong start from Luis Severino. The 2018 Yankees lived up to the hype on Day 1. It won’t happen for 162 — it never does — but in a one-day sample, the Yankees were frightening. (Mike Oz)

WINNER: SHOHEI OHTANI
The first assignment for Shohei Ohtani wasn’t to step on a mound. The would-be Angels two-way star was enlisted as a DH on opening day and he singled in his first at-bat. Given his rough spring, particularly at the plate, getting a hit in first at-bat is enough to get Ohtani on the “winners” list. He didn’t get another one, but didn’t embarrass himself either. He was 1-for-6 in the Angels/A’s extra-innings marathon, but he only struck out once (compared to 10 times in 32 spring at-bats). It wasn’t a soaring victory for Ohtani, but it was a respectable start. (Oz)

LOSER: CARLOS MARTINEZ
Carlos Martinez’s second career opening day start didn’t go nearly as well as his first. Last year, the Cardinals ace struck out 10 over 7.1 scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs. On Thursday, Martinez lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits, six walks and five strikeouts in a 9-4 loss to the Mets. It was a winnable game for St. Louis with Noah Syndergaard allowing a pair of home runs early, but Martinez couldn’t get on track. He then capped his miserable day with a dugout meltdown, taking out the team’s bubblegum supply. (Mark Townsend)

WINNER: JUSTIN VERLANDER
Opening day was an overwhelming success for the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. It started with George Springer making opening day history. It continued with their four-man outfield experiment proving successful. It was punctuated by a superb outing from Justin Verlander. Making his 11th opening day start, the 35-year-old right-hander pitched six scoreless innings in Houston’s 4-1 win. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out six, all while looking like the lead ace in Houston’s loaded rotation.