Players and managers who participated in American Legion Baseball dot the rosters of the 30 MLB teams.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers have a two-game lead on the field after sweeping the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo last week, the traditional Opening Day for the rest of Major League Baseball comes March 27.
Well, mostly.
The season opener between the Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays was pushed back to Friday afternoon to allow more time to prepare the Rays’ temporary home at Steinbrenner Field for major league play.
Tropicana Field, the Rays’ home stadium, was damaged by Hurricane Milton last October and won’t be playable in 2025. So the Rays will play their home games this season at the spring training facility of their American League rivals, the New York Yankees.
“So appreciative of the Yankees,” Rays manager Kevin Cash, who played American Legion Baseball for Post 111 in Tampa, told MLB.com. “You know what the Yankees do, it’s going to be really nice.”
The Rays aren’t the only MLB team playing in a smaller ballpark this year. The Athletics, in the midst of their move from Oakland to Las Vegas, will play home games the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The A’s will open with a four-game series in Seattle before opening their home schedule on March 31 against the Cubs.
Here’s a look at some American Legion Baseball tie-ins to MLB’s Opening Day.
It’s new to them. Alex Bregman (Albuquerque, N.M.), who spent his first nine seasons in the majors with Houston, will make his Boston Red Sox debut… in Texas, against the Rangers.
The third baseman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with Boston as a free agent this offseason and faces a familiar foe in his first series with the Red Sox. He’s played in more games and had more hits against the Rangers than against any other team.
Meanwhile, MacKenzie Gore (Post 137/Whiteville, N.C.) will make his first Opening Day start when he takes the mound for the Washington Nationals against their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. Gore threw 181 strikeouts and had a 3.90 ERA in 166 1/3 innings last season.
He’ll face a Phillies lineup stacked with fellow Legion alumni, including 1B Bryce Harper (Las Vegas), 3B Alec Bohm (Post 1/Omaha, Neb.) and C J.T. Realmuto (Post 170/Midwest City, Okla.).
And Justin Verlander (Post 201/Powhatan, Va.) will continue his quest to reach 300 career wins as he debuts with the San Francisco Giants. The 42-year-old is 262-147 for his career.
Other names to watch. The Milwaukee Brewers will count on Aaron Civale (Post 36/Windsor Locks, Conn.) to play a key role in their pitching rotation, while they also see if Brandon Woodruff (Post 49/Tupelo, Miss.), the 2023 ALB Graduate of the Year, can bounce back from injury.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (Post 3/Deland, Fla.) is being brought along slowly by the Texas Rangers in his first spring training since Tommy John surgery and will likely start the season at the back of Texas’ rotation.
And the Astros will look for more offensive consistency from defensive standout Jake Meyers (Post 1/Omaha, Neb.), who was a Gold Glove Award finalist last season when his .997 fielding percentage led the American League.
- Baseball