MLB opening day has arrived with 28 teams, as Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have already played two games in the Tokyo Series. The season kickstarted with the Milwaukee Brewers facing the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. As we gear up for an exciting baseball season, here are a few storylines that have us hooked!
1. The Fate of Dodgers
The stakes are high for the Dodgers this season. They have a strong chance to repeat as the World Series Championship. No team has been able to replicate what the Yankees did more than two decades ago. The New York team won consecutively for three years, from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers have recently added players like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to their exceptional team. With top pitchers like Snell, Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow, it seems they are primed for success this year.
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2. New Environment
This season is particularly exciting as, for the first time, an MLB game will be held at a race track. We are talking about MLB Speedway Classic on August 2, where the Braves and Reds won’t play in the traditional baseball stadium but at the famous Bristol Motor Speedway. It would also be the first-ever MLB game in Tennessee. The venue has over 150,000 seats, and therefore, the match could make a new attendance record, beating the 2008 Dodgers-Red Sox game.
3. Things look tough for the Yankees
This could be a tough season for the Yankees. After losing to the Dodgers last year, they also lost their star player, Juan Soto, to free agency. Things became more challenging as the ace pitcher Gerrit Cole had to undergo surgery for elbow issues. Even Luis Gill might miss three months due to a lat strain. Moreover, Clarke Schmidt is starting the season on the injured list as he recently dealt with shoulder and back issues. With the unavailability of key players, it’s challenging for them to make it to the world series.
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4. How Many Bases Will De La Cruz Steal?
Cincinnati Reds player Elly De La Cruz stole 67 bases in 2024 and 35 bases in just 98 games in 2023. There’s no denying the fact that his base-stealing speed is impressive. However, he was caught stealing 16 times. If he can reduce the caught-stealing moments, he can easily surpass 70 stolen bases this season. His performance could thus lead the Reds to success and he could emerge as a true superstar.
5. Young Stars
This year, MLB has not one but three young stars—Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, and Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. All of them are just 23 or younger.
Skenes made his debut in 2023 and quickly became one of the best pitchers with a 1.96 ERA. De La Cruz, as mentioned above, is a star in the making. Described as the ‘fastest man in the world’, he led the league last year with 67 stolen bases. Even Henderson is considered as an “MVP-caliber player”.
This year’s league is filled with young athletes like Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez, and Yankees’ Austin Wells. Not to mention, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is already at the top of his game at just 26. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that MLB is becoming a young man’s league.
