After a brief foray Down Under, pro baseball officially swings into action on American soil.
The 2014 Major League Baseball season stages its Opening Night contest on March 30 at 7 p.m. Cayman time, or 8 p.m. EST, on ESPN between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Opening Day is on March 31 with more than 12 games taking place from noon Cayman time, or 1 p.m. EST. All of those contests come after the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks staged the Opening Series in Sydney, the league’s first regular season games in Australia.
A number of story lines figure to dominate the 162-game campaign. Derek Jeter is making his farewell tour after announcing this would be his final season in pinstripes. Jeter’s departure will mark the end of a golden era for New York Yankees baseball, which won five championships in his 20 seasons in the Bronx. In traditional Yankee fashion, New York spent heavily in the offseason to upgrade and give Jeter, a safe bet for the Hall of Fame, one last playoff run. But New York’s loaded division, which includes the world champion Boston Red Sox, will make a postseason berth difficult.
The rivalry between Boston and New York will get one final opportunity this year to feature David Ortiz of the Red Sox battle Jeter. The reigning champs have kept most of their overachieving core intact and have the potential to be the first team since the 1999-2000 Yankees to repeat as league winners.
Focus will also be on the Detroit Tigers and star slugger Miguel Cabrera as he chases a third straight Most Valuable Player award. The Tigers have been perennial contenders, playing in the World Series in 2012 and 2006. Armed with the storied Triple Crown accolade and nine straight seasons of at least 100 Runs Batted In, Cabrera is arguably the sport’s best hitter.
Outside of the teams and players, it will be interesting to see how instant replay, a new home plate collision rule and the retirement of commissioner Bud Selig affects the game. Instant replay is meant to negate bad calls deciding playoff races but could make games overwhelmingly long. The new rule is designed to increase player safety but, due to technical vagaries, it might be end up pointless. As for Selig, he will be remembered for making the league profitable – revenues figure to be $9 billion this season – and entertaining enough to maintain its place as one of America’s top sports organizations.
Related Videos
