Opening Day 2023: All 30 teams will play on first day of season
Opening day FILE PHOTO: Fans walk outside of T-Mobile Park ahead of Opening Day on March 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Baseball fans rejoice! It’s the day you’ve been waiting for since last year: Opening Day 2023.
The crack of the bat and the smell of hot dogs and peanuts at the ballpark will be a welcome relief from the doldrums of everyday life.
Like past seasons, there will be changes in 2023 to America’s pastime.
First up: All 30 teams will play Thursday
This year, it isn’t just a handful of special teams that will be playing. All 30 MLB teams, from the Boston Red Sox to the Atlanta Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates and even the Seattle Mariners, will all be taking the field on Opening Day. It’s the first time it has happened since 1968, MLB.com reported.
There are 15 Opening Day games scheduled, starting with the Braves at Nationals and the Giants at Yankees. Both games start at 1:05 p.m.
For a complete lineup of today’s games, visit MLB.com.
On Deck: New rules
A new rule will be in play for the first time during the regular season. While a pitch clock was part of the spring training, Thursday’s games will mark the first time that the clock will help tighten up gameplay, The Washington Post reported.
Pitchers now have 15 seconds to throw the ball when bases are empty. Five seconds are added when there’s someone on base, according to ESPN. But the play clock doesn’t just apply to the pitcher. A batter must be in the batter’s box by the time the clock hits 8 seconds left. If the pitcher doesn’t start his motion before the clock runs out, he’ll be charged a ball. If the batter is late, he gets a strike.
The changes were approved last September, ESPN reported. A board of four active players, six people appointed by the MLB and one umpire agreed to the changes, according to MLB.com.
In addition to the play clock, there are now bans of major shifts in the outfield, and pickoffs will be limited.
When it comes to the shift, infielders must stay in the infield with two players on each side of second base, ESPN reported. They can move after the pitch is thrown but not before. When an inning starts, the players must stay on the same side of the field that they started on unless there’s a mid-inning substitution. If there’s an injury, the infield can be reset.
The final new rule covers a pickoff, or what is called a “disengagement.” Pitchers can either pick off or do a fake twice in each plate appearance without a penalty, with a reset if the runner or runners advance in the same plate appearance. If there’s a third pickoff, an attempt or a fake, then the pitcher is charged a balk unless one offensive player advances or there’s an out.
In the hole: Bigger bases
The 2023 season has brought a change to the actual field this year. The bases are bigger when compared to seasons past. Instead of the former 15-inch base, the size has increased to 18 inches.
The larger bases may not seem like much of a change, but MLB.com said that the 18-inch base will reduce the distance between first and second, as well as second and third, by 4 1/2 inches. It will also stop oversliding, or when a player loses contact while sliding.
The reasons for the bigger bases come down to preventing injuries and having more stolen bases. It seems to work, since the minor leagues already had a base-size increase. Making the base larger at those levels decreased the number of injuries while seeing more stolen bases, ESPN reported.
Strike out: Robot Umpires
One thing that baseball fans won’t probably see this season is the “automatic ball-strike system,” or robot umps. While the robo-umps and their counterpart, the ABS challenge system, have been tested in the minor leagues, they are not expected to make their way up to the majors, MLB.com said last month.
But it’s not that MLB is calling a strike on robot umpires. Sports Illustrated reported that the automated strike zone will be in effect at independent leagues and across the minors — specifically at all 30 Triple-A ballparks this season. SI speculates that the introduction is inevitable in the majors eventually.
Opening Day 2023 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 30: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox warms up before playing the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day at Fenway Park on March 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) (Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: A general view outside of the ballpark before the Atlanta Braves playing against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: A general view outside of the ballpark before the Atlanta Braves playing against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Fans linger outside the stadium prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Manager Gabe Kapler of the San Francisco Giants looks on during batting practice prior to the game against the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 30: The Opening Day logo at Fenway Park before a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox on March 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) (Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees takes batting practice prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Volpe is making his MLB (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Baseball fans and passerby congregate outside the ballpark before gates open prior to the Atlanta Braves playing against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Anthony Rizzo #48 of the New York Yankees takes batting practice prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Baseball fans and passerby congregate outside the ballpark before gates open prior to the Atlanta Braves playing against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Baseball fans and passerby congregate outside the ballpark before gates open prior to the Atlanta Braves playing against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: A fan wears a homemade Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees jersey prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Volpe is making his MLB debut. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the Atlanta Braves play against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: A commemorative patch for the late Ted Lerner, the founding principal owner of the Washington Nationals, is seen on the sleeve of Jeimer Candelario #9 of the Washington Nationals against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves turns a double play as Lane Thomas #28 of the Washington Nationals is forced out during the first inning on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves runs to first base after hitting a single against the Washington Nationals during the first inning on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees looks on in the dugout with the MLB Debut memorabilia patch visible on his sleeve during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: The New York Yankees line up for the national anthem before the first inning against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 30: Fans gather outside Busch Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day on March 30, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) (Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 BRONX, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Former New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera walks to the mound to throw a ceremonial first pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova poses for a photo after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the Atlanta Braves play against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Nationals Park on March 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 30: A general view of Busch Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day on March 30, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) (Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Opening Day 2023 ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies reaches to sign balls for a fan before the Opening Day game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on March 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)