Who will win the AL Central? Early season picks and predictions
Early storylines in the AL Central are emerging, with Bob Nightengale and Steve Gardner breaking down the division favorites.
Major League Baseball‘s opening games have taken different forms in recent years but this season will feature a semi-traditional standalone Opening Night game, with something of a twist – the first game of the 2026 regular season will air on Netflix.
The San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, a matchup between two of the game’s blue-blood franchises whose rivalry dates back more than 100 years, including seven meetings in the World Series.
Thursday, March 26, is a more traditional Opening Day, with 13 games and 26 teams playing their first contests of the season. The Toronto Blue Jays and Athletics play their first games of 2026 on Friday, one of eight games, including the second meeting between the Giants and Yankees.
Winner of the past two World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers begin their title defense on Thursday at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Here’s a look at the schedule for the first three days of the 2026 campaign and how to watch the California teams:
When is MLB Opening Day? 2026 schedule
Hot off hosting Super Bowl LX, San Francisco will host another big day in sports with the city hosting the first game of the 2026 MLB season.
The Giants will play the New York Yankees at home in Oracle Park at 5:05 p.m., according to the Giants’ official website.
The streaming service, Netflix, will air the game on all devices that can run the app or website. To watch in person, BUY TICKETS here.
The next day, three California teams will play their opening games. The San Diego Padres will play the Detroit Tigers at home at 1:10 p.m. Fans can watch on Padres.tv.
The Los Angeles Angels will be playing in Houston against the Astros at 1:10 p.m. Fans can watch on FanDuel Sports Network West.
The returning back-to-back champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, will host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium at 5:30 p.m. NBC will air the game on television and on the streaming service Peacock.
Full schedule for Thursday:
The Oakland Athletics are the last team to have its opening night. The team will play the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto at 4:07 p.m. The game will be aired on NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
All five California teams will play on Friday.
Full schedule for Friday:
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
