Happy Opening Day

Today was supposed to Opening Day, one of the greatest days in all of sports!  Instead, it wasn't.  In fact, we have no idea when it's going to be.  Hopefully, it'll be June.  But it might be July...or later.  And all we can do about it is sit there and wait.

That wait's going to be torturous.  MLB Network tried to help, playing a marathon of great Opening Day games from the past, including Derek Jeter's home run on his first Opening Day and the Tuffy Rhodes Game.  FS1 had great World Series games and ESPN showed old Home Run Derbys.  But it's not the same.  We should be seeing players in new uniforms, both teams lined up along the baselines while everyone is introduced, dueling aces.  There should've been a parade in Cincinnati!

It's supposed to be baseball season!  So, let's pretend it still is.  Every team in the Majors was scheduled to play it's opener today, so let's, for a minute, act like those games went ahead as scheduled.  What would've happened?  Let's find out.

Yankees 6, Orioles 2: Gerrit Cole's Yankee debut goes about as well as anyone could've expected.  He strikes out 11 while allowing just one run over six innings.  Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andjuar homer, as the Yankees continue their dominance of the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Rays 4, Pirates 1: Tampa Bay's excellent pitching is on full display.  The Pirates are held to just three hits, and Pittsburgh's only run comes on a Josh Bell solo homer in the fourth.  The Rays lead 2-1 in the eighth when Austin Meadows rips a two-run double to make it comfortable.

Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 5: Toronto's "Baby Birds" have all kinds of fun against Eduardo Rodriguez, who you never would've figured would be Boston's Opening Day starter.  Vladito goes yard.  So does Cavan Biggio, who finishes a double short of the cycle.  The Red Sox only score one run off Hyun-Jin Ryu before making it respectable against the Toronto bullpen.

Twins 7, Athletics 4: The Twins pick up right where they left off last season, belting three home runs on Opening Day.  One comes from former A Josh Donaldson, while Oakland's current third baseman, Matt Chapman, hits a two-run bomb of his own.  Jose Berrios, meanwhile, looks strong over six innings for Minnesota.

White Sox 8, Royals 1: Opening Day for the new-look White Sox goes just about as well as anyone could've hoped.  Mark Buehrle throws out the ceremonial first pitch to begin the 15th-anniversary celebration of the 2005 World Series champions, then Lucas Giolito proceeds to pitch like Buerhle.  He allows just three hits, and Kansas City's run is unearned.  The newcomers in Chicago's lineup give him plenty of run support.  The White Sox have a 4-0 lead after two and Giolito cruises from there.

Indians 4, Tigers 3 (10 innings): In one of the more surprising Opening Day results, Detroit takes a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth before Carlos Santana's two-out, two-run homer ties it.  Cleveland then walks it off in the 10th when Francisco Lindor doubles home Jordan Luplow.

Astros 5, Angels 3: They open at home, so the Astros don't have to deal with the boos in their first game post-scandal.  They get their AL championship rings, then promptly put up a three-spot on Yuli Gurriel's bases-clearing double in the bottom of the first.  Verlander isn't vintage Verlander, but he's good enough over seven innings.  And, yes, Mike Trout of course homers.

Rangers 11, Mariners 3: Joey Gallo has himself a day!  Two homers, a double, and five RBIs, as Texas cruises.  Corey Kluber labors through five innings, but it's enough to get the win in his Rangers debut.  Seattle starter Marco Gonzales has issues, though.  He's unable to get through three.

Nationals 2, Mets 1: Last year, we were treated to a Scherzer vs. de Grom opener in DC.  This year we get it again at Citi Field.  And it's a vintage Scherzer vs. de Grom matchup.  Scherzer gives up one run over seven, a Pete Alonso homer in the third, while de Grom holds the champs to just three singles over six shutout innings.  The Mets bullpen blows it, though, and Washington scores two in the top of the ninth to win it.

Braves 5, Diamondbacks 3: Madison Bumgarner's first inning as a Diamondback is shaky.  Atlanta puts up a four-spot, including homers by Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman.  He settles down after that, but Arizona's offense is unable to get going.  Mike Soroka goes 5 2/3, then the Braves bullpen shuts the door, not allowing a hit over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Phillies 10, Marlins 2: In a matchup pitting Joe Girardi's team vs. Derek Jeter's team, Girardi's squad shows that it's significantly better than Jeter's.  New Phillie Didi Gregorius has three hits, but it's Philadelphia's big free agent signing from a year ago who has the big day.  Bryce Harper drives in four, including a two-run homer, to make Girardi a winner in his return to the dugout.

Reds 3, Cardinals 1: This one is all about Luis Castillo.  Cincinnati's ace is perfect through five, and his no-hitter is broken up on Paul Goldschmidt's homer in the seventh.  That ties the game at 1-1, but the Reds respond in the bottom of the seventh.  Longtime Reds Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez start the rally before newcomers Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos finish it.  Raisel Iglesias then pitches a perfect ninth for the save.

Cubs 9, Brewers 7: Homers aplenty in Milwaukee!  Six in total, three by each team.  The Brewers have a 7-6 lead in the top of the eighth when Anthony Rizzo takes Corey Knebel deep to put the Cubs in front.  Milwaukee puts the tying run on second in the bottom of the ninth, but Craig Kimbrel strikes out Avisail Garcia to end the game.

Padres 8, Rockies 7: A back-and-forth affair that might've been the most entertaining game of the day.  San Diego takes a 2-0 lead in the first before Colorado puts up a four-spot in the fourth.  The Padres tie it in the bottom of the fourth, but the Rockies respond with three in the sixth.  Manny Machado and Wil Myers both homer in the seventh to make it 7-6, then San Diego walks off with a victory on Brian Dozier's two-run, pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth.

Dodgers 2, Giants 0: Vintage Clayton Kershaw, as the Dodgers' ace throws a three-hit, Opening Day shutout.  (The weird part is seeing Johnny Cueto, not Madison Bumgarner take the ball for San Francisco in the bottom of the first.)  The Dodgers get all the offense they need on Justin Turner's RBI single in the fifth, and Max Muncy adds an insurance tally with a solo homer in the seventh.  As for Mookie Betts, he goes 0-for-4 with a walk in his Dodgers debut.