After being named the Yankees¡¯ Opening Day starter last season, Nestor Cortes plans to enjoy the atmosphere more this time. Traded to the Brewers in December, the left-hander isn¡¯t scheduled to debut in his new uniform until Game 2.
He knows exactly what kind of environment to expect at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
¡°Electric,¡± Cortes said. ¡°I¡¯ve been part of a few of them, and I always told myself that whenever I become a big leaguer, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss an Opening Day for anything ¨C unless my child is born that day. It¡¯s a special moment as a professional, as a baseball player. Those are the moments you live for: Opening Day, playoffs, All-Star Games and, ultimately, winning the World Series.¡±
Both teams have their sights on the World Series this season, even if they build their rosters differently. The Brewers won the NL Central last season for the third time in four seasons and qualified for the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons on the strength of speed and run prevention. It marked the second straight year that the Brewers won the team Gold Glove Award from Rawlings.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are best known for their bats. They led the Majors last season with 237 home runs, pacing the AL with 815 runs scored. Though the lineup will look different from the last time they played in the Bronx during the World Series, they¡¯ll need to produce runs early as they seek to overcome a series of pitching injuries.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN, with Joe Buck on play-by-play duties alongside YES Network analyst Joe Girardi and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin analyst Bill Schroeder. The game will also air on the Brewers Radio Network throughout Wisconsin and on WFAN 101.9 FM and 660 AM in the New York area.
What are the lineups?
Brewers: Left-handed-hitting center fielder Garrett Mitchell has a chance to be a breakout player for the Brewers this season, and manager Pat Murphy is exceptionally high on third baseman Oliver Dunn. But with the Brewers facing a Yankees lefty in Carlos Rod¨®n, it will be a different look at the start, including utility man Vinny Capra -- the son of a lifelong Yankees fan father who is out of options and won a job with a power-packed spring -- starting at third base.
- Jackson Chourio, LF
- Christian Yelich, DH
- William Contreras, C
- Rhys Hoskins, 1B
- Sal Frelick, RF
- Joey Ortiz, SS
- Garrett Mitchell, CF
- Vinny Capra, 3B
- Brice Turang, 2B
Yankees: The Bombers have played more than 18,000 games in their history, and never before have they had a catcher bat in the leadoff spot. That is primed to change this season, as manager Aaron Boone frequently hit Austin Wells in the top spot against right-handed pitchers this spring, citing the backstop¡¯s on-base abilities ahead of reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge.
- Austin Wells, C
- Aaron Judge, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jr. 2B
- Jasson Domínguez, LF
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Ben Rice, DH
- Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B
Who are the starting pitchers?
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta
2024 season: 11-9, 3.68 ERA, 200 strikeouts in 32 starts
Peralta is pitching an Opening Day game in New York for the second straight year, having delivered six innings of one-hit, one-run ball in a win over the Mets at Citi Field last season. He¡¯s coming off a second straight season of 200-plus strikeouts and a career-high 173 2/3 innings pitched, which went a long way to stabilizing things for a Milwaukee team that set a club record by employing 17 different starters (including openers). The Brewers have played multiple series against the Yankees during his tenure, but Peralta has never pitched against them -- the only team besides the Brewers he has yet to face.
Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón
2024 season: 16-9, 3.69 ERA, 195 strikeouts in 32 starts
Filling in for injured ace Gerrit Cole, this marks Rod¨®n¡¯s second Opening Day start, having also taken those honors for the White Sox in 2019. The 32-year-old is coming off a campaign in which he posted career highs in wins (16) and starts (32). His strikeouts and innings pitched (175) in ¡®24 marked the second-highest totals of his career, trailing only his 237 strikeouts and 178 innings for the Giants in 2022. Rod¨®n is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers; he struck out eight over six innings of one-run ball in a victory last April 27 in Milwaukee.
How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Brewers: After successfully navigating the trade of ace starter Corbin Burnes prior to last season, the Brewers face the daunting task of replacing closer Devin Williams. Trevor Megill logged 20 of his 21 saves last season while Williams was on the injured list with stress fractures in his back, so he¡¯s most likely to assume the role. Right-hander Joel Payamps and left-handers Jared Koenig and Bryan Hudson are the primary setup men. One other big arm will be on the roster but not available; right-hander Abner Uribe will have to serve a four-game suspension from his role in last April¡¯s wrangle with the Rays before he can pitch in the big leagues.
Yankees: There will be a familiar face waiting in the ninth inning as Williams takes over closing duties in the Bronx from Luke Weaver, who was a standout after being shuffled into the role last September. Weaver now takes on setup duties for Williams, whose impressive ¡°Airbender¡± changeup helped make him a two-time National League Reliever of the Year Award recipient. Strikeout artist Fernando Cruz, lefty ground-ball specialist Tim Hill and right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. should be ready to take on the middle innings when needed.
Any injuries of note?
Brewers: The Brewers are significantly compromised on the pitching side after starters Aaron Ashby and Tobias Myers, relievers Nick Mears and JB Bukauskas and swingman DL Hall all went down with injuries during the spring. That¡¯s on top of former ace Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) and prospect Robert Gasser (elbow) beginning the season on the injured list as they rehab from surgeries. As for the hitters, the player to watch is Turang, the reigning NL Gold Glove Award winner at second base and the NL Platinum Glove Award Winner as the league¡¯s top overall defender. He was in the midst of a move to shortstop when his throwing shoulder acted up, and he hasn¡¯t played a game in the field since March 14.
Yankees: The projected 26-man roster changed drastically from when pitchers and catchers reported to camp in February. Cole is lost for the season to Tommy John surgery, AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will miss at least three months with a high-grade right lat strain, and it¡¯s anyone¡¯s guess when ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton will pick up a bat again as he deals with torn tendons in both elbows. DJ LeMahieu is also shelved due to a left calf strain; he would have been the Opening Day third baseman if healthy.
Who¡¯s hot and who¡¯s not?
Brewers: A hitter doesn¡¯t get much hotter than Chourio, who flirted with a .500 average all spring and was 22-for-45 when he popped his first Cactus League home run on March 23. Now a grizzled veteran at 21, Chourio is aiming to build on his third-place finish in last year¡¯s NL Rookie of the Year Award balloting. ... Hoskins tied for the team lead with six spring homers, a good sign that his legs are under him in his second season removed from major knee surgery. ... He shared the home run crown with Capra, whose credentials for the Opening Day roster were that he¡¯s out of options and can help back up shortstop. But he decided to have a big spring at the plate, starting with a two-homer, six-RBI afternoon in Milwaukee¡¯s Cactus League opener. Can Capra stay productive once the frequency of his at-bats dwindles?
Yankees: Bellinger will take aim at Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch after scorching the ball all spring, collecting 20 hits in 50 at-bats (.400), with five doubles, three homers and seven RBIs. Wells (.372, 6 HR, 12 RBIs) and Rice (.259, 5 HRs, 9 RBIs) also finished camp sizzling. By comparison, Judge had a quiet spring, managing just four hits in 31 at-bats (.129), striking out 17 times. The captain struggled last April, too, before winning the MVP with one of the best seasons ever by a right-handed batter.
Anything else fans might want to know?
This marks the fourth time these old AL foes have met on an Opening Day, but it¡¯s been a while. They squared off in season openers three times in four years from 1976-79, starting with a 5-0 Brewers win over the Yankees at County Stadium on April 8, 1976, with righty Jim Slaton pitching a four-hit shutout and Hank Aaron contributing two hits and three RBIs in the final Opening Day of his career.
The teams met again at Yankee Stadium to open 1977, and this time, Catfish Hunter and Sparky Lyle combined for a five-hit, no-walk shutout in a 3-0 Yankees win. Two years later, Milwaukee¡¯s Don Money hit a go-ahead, two-run single in a four-run sixth inning, and Mike Caldwell delivered a complete game for a 5-1 Brewers win in a Yankee Stadium rematch.