Opening Day in Los Angeles pits a young team who staked a surprising path to the postseason in 2024 against a juggernaut in the early stages of defending its World Series title. Welcome back to regular-season baseball.
The Tigers, who reached the postseason for the first time in a decade last year, and the Dodgers, the reigning champions who haven't missed the playoffs since 2012, look to be in the thick of it again, providing no shortage of intrigue to kick off the domestic schedule.
Detroit seeks to build upon what the team achieved last year, a thrilling late-season run to an AL Wild Card spot that ended in the Division Series against Cleveland. The Tigers will send reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the mound to set the tone for a season that brings higher expectations for the club -- and to try to hand the Dodgers their first loss of 2025.
Los Angeles' Opening Day has already come and gone, as the team's title defense began with a sweep of the Cubs in the two-game Tokyo Series last week. The Dodgers are handing the ball to a Cy Young-caliber pitcher of their own in the domestic opener: Blake Snell, who won the award in 2018 and '23.
Here's everything you need to know for the Tigers-Dodgers Opening Day matchup:
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT. The TV broadcast will be carried on ESPN, and both teams also have radio broadcasts: 97.1 FM for the Tigers, and AM570 and KTNQ 1020 (Spanish-language) for the Dodgers. Local Dodgers fans can also stream the game on SNLA+.
What are the lineups?
Tigers
- Andy Ibáñez, 3B
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Riley Greene, LF
- Spencer Torkelson, DH
- Manuel Margot, RF
- Colt Keith, 1B
- Javier Báez, SS
- Jake Rogers, C
- Ryan Kreidler, CF
Dodgers
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Teoscar Hernández, RF
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Tommy Edman, CF
- Will Smith, C
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Miguel Rojas, 2B
- Andy Pages, LF
Who are the starting pitchers?
Tigers: LHP Tarik Skubal
2024 season: 18-4, 2.39 ERA, 192 innings
How fitting that Skubal, the Tigers¡¯ great equalizer whom any team would love to have in a one-game scenario, will begin the encore to his incredible 2024 campaign by taking the mound against baseball¡¯s Goliath and reigning World Series champions. The 2018 ninth-round Draft pick won the AL¡¯s pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young Award last season and was the lone constant in the pitching chaos formula that manager A.J. Hinch leveraged down the stretch to a postseason berth. He¡¯ll take the mound for his second consecutive Opening Day assignment.
Dodgers: LHP Blake Snell
2024 season: 5-3, 3.12 ERA, 104 innings
This will be Snell's second time matching up against a Cy Young winner on Opening Day, having started vs. Justin Verlander and the Astros for the Rays in 2019. While Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the Opening Day nod in Tokyo, Snell was the clear choice for the domestic opener. Coming off a full spring after having to rush his buildup the year before due to signing late, Snell feels that his stuff is where he wants it to be as he prepares for the first season of his five-year, $182 million deal with L.A.
How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Tigers: No pitching chaos today, but Hinch has a stable of plus-stuff, multi-inning relievers to throw at baseball¡¯s most dangerous lineup in hopes of neutralizing its critical hitters. None likely loom larger than left-hander Tyler Holton, who has thrown eight innings of one-run ball against the Dodgers over his career. Beau Brieske had a rough time against the Dodgers out of the bullpen last season, but he could pitch anywhere from the middle to late innings. Free-agent signing Tommy Kahnle could make his Tigers debut against the team he faced in last year¡¯s World Series; they know what his changeup looks like. Former Dodger Kenta Maeda, who tossed 3 2/3 stellar innings against his old club last July at Comerica Park, is back in the bullpen in an extended role.
Dodgers: Manager Dave Roberts should have a fresh 'pen at his disposal as the bridge from Snell to the ninth inning and Tanner Scott, who has not been anointed the closer but should get the bulk of save opportunities. Scott picked up his first save with L.A. on Opening Day in Tokyo, and Alex Vesia closed out Game 2. Depending on how the opposing team lines up toward the end of the game, Roberts can prioritize matchups and choose the high-leverage arm that's best suited to the situation at hand in the late innings.
Any injuries of note?
Tigers: Center fielder Parker Meadows will miss at least a month while he continues to deal with nerve issues in his upper right arm. Matt Vierling, who could¡¯ve stepped in for Meadows in center, is out with a muscle strain in his right rotator cuff. Alex Cobb will open the season on the injured list as he works back from right hip inflammation.
Dodgers: Betts' status remains up in the air for Opening Day as he continues to recover from an undiagnosed stomach illness. If it were up to him, he would likely choose to play, but he has lost approximately 15 pounds over the past two weeks. The Dodgers will prioritize his long-term health over the early games of the season, so the team could hold Betts out of the lineup if he's not doing much better come Thursday. Freeman, who missed the Tokyo Series with left rib discomfort, is feeling better but will continue to be monitored by the team.
Who¡¯s hot and who¡¯s not?
Tigers: Torkelson, no longer Detroit¡¯s primary first baseman, stated his case for an Opening Day roster spot by batting .326 (15-for-46) with four home runs and nine RBIs in Grapefruit League play. Greene hit .302 (13-for-43) with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs. On the flip side, P¨¦rez went 3-for-28 (.107) in Spring Training as he adjusted to an everyday role in center field.
Dodgers: There's not much to take away from a two-game sample in the regular season, but Ohtani (3-for-8, homer, three runs scored) and Smith (2-for-4, five walks, two runs scored) both put together a strong performance in the Tokyo Series. Every Dodger who appeared in the season-opening series notched at least one hit between the two games.
Anything else fans might want to know?
? Last year, the Tigers took two out of three from the Dodgers in a three-game set at Comerica Park from July 12-14. Detroit outscored L.A. by a narrow 18-16 margin in that series.
? With Skubal and Snell on the mound, this game is the only Opening Day matchup of Cy Young Award winners this season.
? This will mark the first time in history the Tigers have opened their season against the previous season¡¯s World Series champions.