From Bobby V. to Detroit's new Prince, Strasburg to Epstein's Cubs, and new looks for clubs across the land, Opening Day is rich with storylines.
GALLERY: Opening Day
There are seven games on today's slate, with 14 teams making their regular-season debut. The action begins with Bobby Valentine's Boston Red Sox visiting Motown to play newcomer Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers.
GALLERY: MLB's 25 highest-paid players
Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg makes his first career Opening Day start against the Chicago Cubs, now run by Theo Epstein.
SALARY DATABASE: Every player, every team
We have reporters fanned out from coast to coast, so follow today's action in the Daily Pitch. (all times p.m., ET)
4:32 Jayson Werth draws a bases-loaded walk from Kerry Wood and Nationals tie Cubs 1-1 in eighth. Ryan Dempster struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings and retired 16 of the last 17 he faced before giving way for Cubs.
4:24: Remember when the Reds always played the first game of the year? Well, that tradition has more or less disappeared. One thing that hasn't changed so far: Joey Votto. Fresh off agreeing to a $225 million extension, he singles in his first at-bat off new Marlins starter Mark Buehrle.
4:21: Remember Jose Bautista? Joey Bats is off to a quick start in 2012, homering off Justin Masterson for the Blue Jays' first run. But it's 4-1 Indians.
4:18: Tigers beat Red Sox 3-2 with a run in the ninth. Austin Jackson grounds a single past third base (his third hit of the game) for the winning run. Mark Melancon takes the loss. Alfredo Aceves , now Boston's closer with Andrew Bailey on the shelf, gives up the deciding hit.
BOX SCORE: Tigers 3, Red Sox 2
4:15: Tigers load bases in bottom of ninth with one out and Alfredo Aceves now pitching for Boston. It's only the second time in Justin Verlander's career that he pitches eight shutout innings and doesn't get the win. It was Jose Valverde's first blown save since Sept. 2, 1010.
4:03: Actor Bill Murray attempts to fire up the crowd before singing at seventh inning stretch: "We're going to win today; we're going to win every single day," he says. Stephen Strasburg is out to start the seventh as Cubs lead 1-0.
4:01: Boston's Ryan Sweeney triples home the tying run in the top of the ninth against Jose Valverde. Justin Verlander will get a no-decision as this game goes to the bottom of the ninth.
3:59: At Citi Field, Mets finish off their 1-0 victory against the Braves.At Detroit, Jose Valverde strikes out Kevin Youkilis but Boston gets tying run to second base with two outs on a steal.
BOX SCORE: Mets 1, Braves 0
3:56: Red Sox get a run against Jose Valverde in top of ninth but Tigers still lead 2-1, looking for two more outs.
3:47: Jonathan Papelbon finishes off the Pirates 1-2-3 in the ninth, getting Andrew McCutchen to ground out for the final out. It's a combined two-hit shutout for Roy Halladay and Papelbon in the 1-0 victory.
BOX SCORE: Phillies 1, Pirates 0
3:52: Eleven in a row set down by Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. He has a one-hitter through six innings.
3:49: Jose Valverde was 49-for-49 in regular season saves last year. Justin Verlander threw 105 pitches, 66 for strikes.
3:46: It's closer time. At Pittsburgh, Jonathan Papelbon is on for his first save attempt with the Phillies. He's protecting a 1-0 lead for Roy Halladay. At Detroit, Jose Valverde takes over for Justin Verlander. Tigers lead 2-0.
3:43: Tigers get Justin Verlander a big insurance run to take to the ninth. Bobby Valentine gambles by intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder delivers with sacrifice fly. It's 2-0 going to the ninth.
3:29: At Wrigley, Alfonso Soriano, who stole two bases in three attempts last year, is caught trying to steal third. But Jeff Baker walks and Marlon Byrd singles in Ian Stewart to give Cubs a 1-0 lead after four innings.
3:28: Pittsburgh reliever Chris Resop strands two Phillies in the top of the eighth. Roy Halladay protecting a 1-0 lead.
3:23: The crowd of 39,585 at Pittsburgh is the largest in PNC Park's 12 seasons.
3:20: Cody Ross can't catch up to Alex Avila's double to the left-field corner and Jhonny Peralta scores to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead against Boston in the seventh.
3:17: Under way at Progressive Field in Cleveland where the Indians' Justin Masterson strikes out the side in the first inning. Now it's Blue Jay ace Ricky Romero's turn.
3:16: Scoreless after three innings at Wrigley. With the record warmth in March in Chicago, the ivy on the walls is already starting to turn green -- earliest that has happened in memory. It usually doesn't happen until May. Says Theo Epstein: "We'll take it as a sign of good things to come."
3:07: Carlos Ruiz sacrifice fly puts Phillies on the board. They lead 1-0 at Pittsburgh going to bottom of seventh.
3:03: Red Sox turn their third double play of the game behind Jon Lester. It's 0-0 into the seventh with Justin Verlander still breezing along for Detroit.
3:02: First run of the day. The Mets break through against Atlanta's Tommy Hanson. David Wright's single scores Andres Torres and finishes Hanson's afternoon.
2:56: Wind is blowing in at Wrigley. Alfonso Soriano got good wood on a first-inning pitch and it didn't even make the warning track. Stephen Strasburg has breezed through the first two innings on 14 pitches. At this rate, he'll pitch more than five innings for the Nationals.
2:55: Pitching continues to dominate. The Braves leave the bases loaded against the Mets and Erik Bedard strands a runner at second base in the sixth for Pittsburgh. All told we've completed 39 half innings today without a run being scored.
2:45: Jon Lester pitches out of a two-on jam and the Red Sox and Tigers remain 0-0 after five. In the top of the sixth, Miguel Cabrera makes a tumbling catch of a foul pop at third basefor the second out in support of Detroit starter Justin Verlander. Cabrera is charged with an error on the next play.
2:40: Weather is not playing a factor in today's early games. The coldest temperature at first pitch was is in Detroit -- 43 degrees. It's 53 degrees in New York, 52 degrees in Pittsburgh, 48 degrees in Chicago and 46 degrees in Cleveland.
2:38: Johan Santana gets out of a jam in the fifth inning. Braves' Michael Bourn hits a full-count comebacker to Santana with the bases loaded to end the inning. Santana is out after throwing 84 pitches (50 for strikes). He gave up two hits in his five shutout innings and struck out five.
2:36: New look at Wrigley: The Budweiser Patio, a new feature replacing seats in corner of right-field bleachers, is full and the LED board doesn't look very intrusive. Gone is the sign on one of the rooftop buildings that chronicled the number of years since the Cubs won a division, an NL pennant, a World Series. New building ownerdecided to take it down, but is keeping "Eamus Catuli" sign, Latin (loosely) for "Let's Go Cubs"
2:34:Roy Halladay gets defensive help from 1B Ty Wigginton (tag play on Jimmy Rollins throw) and LF John Mayberry Jr. (running catch on Neil Walker) to get through the fourth with a shutout. Pittsburgh's Erik Bedard is matching him in 0-0 game.
2:20.: Chicago: Wrigley Field's first pitch guest Bill Murray, wearing Cubs' jersey No. 11, runs the bases in a full sprint, semi-slides into home. Then he one-hops the first pitch, but Kerry Wood scoops it for the save.
2:14.: Detroit: OK, so it's a small sample size, but let's go ahead and call this The Year of the Pitcher Part III. There's 22 zeros and no runs on the board right now between the three games, and Jon Lester and Justin Verlander are looking particularly nasty. Lester just froze Prince Fielder with a fastball on the outside corner for Prince's first backward K as a Tiger. Lester (three hits, two strikeouts) and Verlander (one hit, four strikeouts) are unblemished through four.
1:43: Pittsburgh: 2B Neil Walker ranges behind the bag to SS side, robbing Philadelphia's Ty Wigginton of a hit in second inning. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel protests the close call at first in an 0-0 game at PNC Park.
1:38:Cecil Fielder singles to right-center in his first at-bat as a Detroit Tiger, leading off the second inning. . Fielder plucked a Jhonny Peralta throw out of the dirt in the top of the inning, helping Justin Verlander pitch around a lead-off double by Boston's David Ortiz.
1:29: Johan Santana responded to his first major league action since Sept. 2, 2010 by pitching a scoreless first inning against the Atlanta Braves, pitching around a Martin Prado single up the middle and striking out Dan Uggla swinging. Santana made it all the way back from Sept. 14, 2010 surgery to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder.
1:26: So much for an unseasonably warm winter. Game-time temperature at Comerica Park: 43 degrees. Does spring ever arrive in Michigan?
1:24: Bob Feller is safe. No Opening Day no-hitter for Justin Verlander as David Ortiz laces a leadoff double.
1:19: The Mets' Johan Santana delivers his first pitch since Sept. 2, 2010.
1:18: The Red Sox are in mid-September form. They go down 1-2-3 on nine pitches.
1:10: In Detroit: New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is batting Jacoby Ellsbury in the leadoff spot, saying it's only appropos, considering Justin Verlander and Ellsbury finished 1-2 in the AL MVP race. The first pitch is a strike, and Ellsbury is retired on a fly to left.
12:52:In Detroit: Huge ovation for Prince Fielder, but dwarfed by the cheers for Justin Verlander, with the fans chanting: MVP.
12:45:In New York:There's only one way for Chipper Jones' final season to begin: Getting booed by Mets fans. Jones, currently on the disabled list after minor knee surgery, has a lifetime .318 average against the Mets, with 48 homers and 154 RBI. Oh, and in case you forgot, the Mets' old stadium lives on in Jones' family: His 7-year-old son is named Shea.
12:41: Who owns the best Opening Day record? The answer will surprise many fans. It is the New York Mets, who boast a 32-18 mark for a .640 winning percentage. The crosstown rival Yankees entered this season with the second-best Opening Day mark at 65-46-1 (.586) followed by the Baltimore Orioles at 63-47-1 (.573).
See photos of: David Ortiz, Johan Santana, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw
GALLERY: Opening Day
There are seven games on today's slate, with 14 teams making their regular-season debut. The action begins with Bobby Valentine's Boston Red Sox visiting Motown to play newcomer Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers.
GALLERY: MLB's 25 highest-paid players
Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg makes his first career Opening Day start against the Chicago Cubs, now run by Theo Epstein.
SALARY DATABASE: Every player, every team
We have reporters fanned out from coast to coast, so follow today's action in the Daily Pitch. (all times p.m., ET)
4:32 Jayson Werth draws a bases-loaded walk from Kerry Wood and Nationals tie Cubs 1-1 in eighth. Ryan Dempster struck out 10 in 7 2/3 innings and retired 16 of the last 17 he faced before giving way for Cubs.
4:24: Remember when the Reds always played the first game of the year? Well, that tradition has more or less disappeared. One thing that hasn't changed so far: Joey Votto. Fresh off agreeing to a $225 million extension, he singles in his first at-bat off new Marlins starter Mark Buehrle.
4:21: Remember Jose Bautista? Joey Bats is off to a quick start in 2012, homering off Justin Masterson for the Blue Jays' first run. But it's 4-1 Indians.
4:18: Tigers beat Red Sox 3-2 with a run in the ninth. Austin Jackson grounds a single past third base (his third hit of the game) for the winning run. Mark Melancon takes the loss. Alfredo Aceves , now Boston's closer with Andrew Bailey on the shelf, gives up the deciding hit.
BOX SCORE: Tigers 3, Red Sox 2
4:15: Tigers load bases in bottom of ninth with one out and Alfredo Aceves now pitching for Boston. It's only the second time in Justin Verlander's career that he pitches eight shutout innings and doesn't get the win. It was Jose Valverde's first blown save since Sept. 2, 1010.
4:03: Actor Bill Murray attempts to fire up the crowd before singing at seventh inning stretch: "We're going to win today; we're going to win every single day," he says. Stephen Strasburg is out to start the seventh as Cubs lead 1-0.
4:01: Boston's Ryan Sweeney triples home the tying run in the top of the ninth against Jose Valverde. Justin Verlander will get a no-decision as this game goes to the bottom of the ninth.
3:59: At Citi Field, Mets finish off their 1-0 victory against the Braves.At Detroit, Jose Valverde strikes out Kevin Youkilis but Boston gets tying run to second base with two outs on a steal.
BOX SCORE: Mets 1, Braves 0
3:56: Red Sox get a run against Jose Valverde in top of ninth but Tigers still lead 2-1, looking for two more outs.
3:47: Jonathan Papelbon finishes off the Pirates 1-2-3 in the ninth, getting Andrew McCutchen to ground out for the final out. It's a combined two-hit shutout for Roy Halladay and Papelbon in the 1-0 victory.
BOX SCORE: Phillies 1, Pirates 0
3:52: Eleven in a row set down by Cubs starter Ryan Dempster. He has a one-hitter through six innings.
3:49: Jose Valverde was 49-for-49 in regular season saves last year. Justin Verlander threw 105 pitches, 66 for strikes.
3:46: It's closer time. At Pittsburgh, Jonathan Papelbon is on for his first save attempt with the Phillies. He's protecting a 1-0 lead for Roy Halladay. At Detroit, Jose Valverde takes over for Justin Verlander. Tigers lead 2-0.
3:43: Tigers get Justin Verlander a big insurance run to take to the ninth. Bobby Valentine gambles by intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder delivers with sacrifice fly. It's 2-0 going to the ninth.
3:29: At Wrigley, Alfonso Soriano, who stole two bases in three attempts last year, is caught trying to steal third. But Jeff Baker walks and Marlon Byrd singles in Ian Stewart to give Cubs a 1-0 lead after four innings.
3:28: Pittsburgh reliever Chris Resop strands two Phillies in the top of the eighth. Roy Halladay protecting a 1-0 lead.
3:23: The crowd of 39,585 at Pittsburgh is the largest in PNC Park's 12 seasons.
3:20: Cody Ross can't catch up to Alex Avila's double to the left-field corner and Jhonny Peralta scores to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead against Boston in the seventh.
3:17: Under way at Progressive Field in Cleveland where the Indians' Justin Masterson strikes out the side in the first inning. Now it's Blue Jay ace Ricky Romero's turn.
3:16: Scoreless after three innings at Wrigley. With the record warmth in March in Chicago, the ivy on the walls is already starting to turn green -- earliest that has happened in memory. It usually doesn't happen until May. Says Theo Epstein: "We'll take it as a sign of good things to come."
3:07: Carlos Ruiz sacrifice fly puts Phillies on the board. They lead 1-0 at Pittsburgh going to bottom of seventh.
3:03: Red Sox turn their third double play of the game behind Jon Lester. It's 0-0 into the seventh with Justin Verlander still breezing along for Detroit.
3:02: First run of the day. The Mets break through against Atlanta's Tommy Hanson. David Wright's single scores Andres Torres and finishes Hanson's afternoon.
2:56: Wind is blowing in at Wrigley. Alfonso Soriano got good wood on a first-inning pitch and it didn't even make the warning track. Stephen Strasburg has breezed through the first two innings on 14 pitches. At this rate, he'll pitch more than five innings for the Nationals.
2:55: Pitching continues to dominate. The Braves leave the bases loaded against the Mets and Erik Bedard strands a runner at second base in the sixth for Pittsburgh. All told we've completed 39 half innings today without a run being scored.
2:45: Jon Lester pitches out of a two-on jam and the Red Sox and Tigers remain 0-0 after five. In the top of the sixth, Miguel Cabrera makes a tumbling catch of a foul pop at third basefor the second out in support of Detroit starter Justin Verlander. Cabrera is charged with an error on the next play.
2:40: Weather is not playing a factor in today's early games. The coldest temperature at first pitch was is in Detroit -- 43 degrees. It's 53 degrees in New York, 52 degrees in Pittsburgh, 48 degrees in Chicago and 46 degrees in Cleveland.
2:38: Johan Santana gets out of a jam in the fifth inning. Braves' Michael Bourn hits a full-count comebacker to Santana with the bases loaded to end the inning. Santana is out after throwing 84 pitches (50 for strikes). He gave up two hits in his five shutout innings and struck out five.
2:36: New look at Wrigley: The Budweiser Patio, a new feature replacing seats in corner of right-field bleachers, is full and the LED board doesn't look very intrusive. Gone is the sign on one of the rooftop buildings that chronicled the number of years since the Cubs won a division, an NL pennant, a World Series. New building ownerdecided to take it down, but is keeping "Eamus Catuli" sign, Latin (loosely) for "Let's Go Cubs"
2:34:Roy Halladay gets defensive help from 1B Ty Wigginton (tag play on Jimmy Rollins throw) and LF John Mayberry Jr. (running catch on Neil Walker) to get through the fourth with a shutout. Pittsburgh's Erik Bedard is matching him in 0-0 game.
2:20.: Chicago: Wrigley Field's first pitch guest Bill Murray, wearing Cubs' jersey No. 11, runs the bases in a full sprint, semi-slides into home. Then he one-hops the first pitch, but Kerry Wood scoops it for the save.
2:14.: Detroit: OK, so it's a small sample size, but let's go ahead and call this The Year of the Pitcher Part III. There's 22 zeros and no runs on the board right now between the three games, and Jon Lester and Justin Verlander are looking particularly nasty. Lester just froze Prince Fielder with a fastball on the outside corner for Prince's first backward K as a Tiger. Lester (three hits, two strikeouts) and Verlander (one hit, four strikeouts) are unblemished through four.
1:43: Pittsburgh: 2B Neil Walker ranges behind the bag to SS side, robbing Philadelphia's Ty Wigginton of a hit in second inning. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel protests the close call at first in an 0-0 game at PNC Park.
1:38:Cecil Fielder singles to right-center in his first at-bat as a Detroit Tiger, leading off the second inning. . Fielder plucked a Jhonny Peralta throw out of the dirt in the top of the inning, helping Justin Verlander pitch around a lead-off double by Boston's David Ortiz.
1:29: Johan Santana responded to his first major league action since Sept. 2, 2010 by pitching a scoreless first inning against the Atlanta Braves, pitching around a Martin Prado single up the middle and striking out Dan Uggla swinging. Santana made it all the way back from Sept. 14, 2010 surgery to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder.
1:26: So much for an unseasonably warm winter. Game-time temperature at Comerica Park: 43 degrees. Does spring ever arrive in Michigan?
1:24: Bob Feller is safe. No Opening Day no-hitter for Justin Verlander as David Ortiz laces a leadoff double.
1:19: The Mets' Johan Santana delivers his first pitch since Sept. 2, 2010.
1:18: The Red Sox are in mid-September form. They go down 1-2-3 on nine pitches.
1:10: In Detroit: New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is batting Jacoby Ellsbury in the leadoff spot, saying it's only appropos, considering Justin Verlander and Ellsbury finished 1-2 in the AL MVP race. The first pitch is a strike, and Ellsbury is retired on a fly to left.
12:52:In Detroit: Huge ovation for Prince Fielder, but dwarfed by the cheers for Justin Verlander, with the fans chanting: MVP.
12:45:In New York:There's only one way for Chipper Jones' final season to begin: Getting booed by Mets fans. Jones, currently on the disabled list after minor knee surgery, has a lifetime .318 average against the Mets, with 48 homers and 154 RBI. Oh, and in case you forgot, the Mets' old stadium lives on in Jones' family: His 7-year-old son is named Shea.
12:41: Who owns the best Opening Day record? The answer will surprise many fans. It is the New York Mets, who boast a 32-18 mark for a .640 winning percentage. The crosstown rival Yankees entered this season with the second-best Opening Day mark at 65-46-1 (.586) followed by the Baltimore Orioles at 63-47-1 (.573).
See photos of: David Ortiz, Johan Santana, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw
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