"Opening day. All you have to do is say the words and you feel the shutters thrown wide, the room air out, the light pour in. In baseball, no other day is so pure with possibility. No scores yet, no losses, no blame or disappointment. No hangover, at least until the game's over."
—Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune
It's fitting that the above quote came from a Chicago scribe; no place embodies the pensive promise of Opening Day quite like the Windy City, with its 106-year-and-counting championship drought.
But this is a special time for every baseball fan, the first step of a 162-game marathon. Take a deep breath, guys.
The initial slate of games, which begins Easter Sunday at, yep, Wrigley Field and spills into Monday, is packed with scintillating narratives: big-name players debuting with new clubs, injured stars on the comeback trail, rivalries rekindled.
As we await the first meaningful pitch since Madison Bumgarner sealed the World Series five months ago, let's run through the top matchups and storylines, sprinkle in a few predictions and generally prep you for baseball.
That's right, baseball. Are you ready?
Lester Deals with the Cards
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals clashing on Opening Day is always an event. But this one has some added wrinkles, including the man who will take the hill Sunday for the Cubbies.
Chicago and St. Louis have a long, well-documented history. Jon Lester, the Cubs' big offseason acquisition, has some Cards-related backstory of his own.
Lester faced the Red Birds twice in the 2013 World Series and authored a pair of victories for the Boston Red Sox, allowing a single earned run and striking out 15 in 15.1 innings combined.
The young, hungry and much-hyped Cubs hope the left-hander can repeat his postseason magic on the North Side. An Opening Day win against the defending National League Central champs won't get them there, but it'd be an excellent omen.
Lester skipped a start earlier this month with what manager Joe Maddon termed a "dead arm," per the Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales. He's appeared in a couple of minor league games since and offered a mostly reassuring assessment to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com (via ABC News).
"Once we get to a game with some fans and some adrenaline, I think things will sharpen up a little bit," Lester told Rogers. "We'll figure it out. This game is built on adjustments."
Prediction: Lester rides the adrenaline, puts the dead-arm talk to rest and dominates, making even the most cynical Cubs fans wonder: Is this the year?
Tanaka's First Test
Masahiro Tanaka was dogged all spring by questions about his right elbow, which houses the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that landed him on the disabled list last season.
The New York Yankees ace had a fine showing in the Grapefruit League, holding opponents to a .228 batting average and notching 13 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.
Still, on April 1, Hall of Fame hurler and MLB Network analyst Pedro Martinez told Adam Schein on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio show that he thinks Tanaka is throwing hurt and won't make it through the season—and he didn't follow up with, "April fools!"
"I don't see him healthy all year and I don’t see him healthy right now," Martinez said on Schein's show (via Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News).
Martinez isn't a surgeon—though he sliced up his share of hitters—but his comments added fuel to the Tanaka-doubting fire.
With all the fuss over the Japanese import's elbow, it's easy to forget how much he dominated last year when healthy.
He'll have a chance to display that dominance, and make the doubters temporarily eat their words like so many ballpark dogs, when the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
Prediction: Tanaka pitches well, his elbow doesn't explode and the Bronx heaves a collective sigh of relief—until his next start.
Kemp's Padres Debut...in LA
The San Diego Padres will face the Los Angeles Dodgers 19 times this year, including a three-game set to close out the season.
But there will only be one first time for Matt Kemp, and it'll come on Monday at Dodger Stadium.
Kemp made a lot of good memories at Chavez Ravine, but his tenure there ended on a sour note. Hampered by injuries, Kemp saw his production bottom out in 2013, when the two-time All-Star posted a career-worst .723 OPS in 73 games.
He enjoyed a bounce-back last season, staying healthy and clubbing 25 home runs. Still, with touted prospect Joc Pederson waiting in the wings, the Dodgers shipped Kemp and a barrel of cash down the I-5 freeway for a package highlighted by catcher Yasmani Grandal.
It wasn't exactly an acrimonious split; after the trade, Kemp took to Instagram to offer a heartfelt thank you to LA fans and the Dodgers organization, which he praised for "taking a chance on an Oklahoma kid."
But this game has to carry extra significance for Kemp, who went from franchise cornerstone to jettisoned afterthought in the span of a few seasons. And the best revenge, as they say, is success.
Speaking of which, MLB Network's Dan Plesac foresees big things:
Prediction: We're not following Plesac out on that flimsy limb, but let's say Kemp gets a polite ovation on Opening Day, homers against Clayton Kershaw and then hears a different greeting from the LA faithful thereafter.
Other Storylines
On Monday, veteran Torii Hunter leads his old/new team, the upstart Minnesota Twins, against his old team, the Detroit Tigers.
"I'm fired up to face anybody, whether I face the Angels, which I had a great time, or I face the Tigers, which I had a great time with," Hunter told Mike Berardino of TwinCities.com. "I can tell you this: Any team I might play, they know I'm coming to play."
Hunter, as Berardino notes, hasn't reached the World Series in his otherwise sterling career. The 39-year-old outfielder isn't likely to break through with Minnesota, the club that drafted him more than two decades ago. The Twins are stocked with emerging talent but figure to be cellar-dwellers in the competitive American League Central.
Hunter can serve as a mentor to Minnesota's young bucks—and maybe make Tigers fans wish they'd kept him around for one more year.
Speaking of old/new teams, Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels gets the start Monday against the Boston Red Sox, a club whose uniform he might wear before the season is over.
Hamels was the subject of persistent trade rumors this winter, with the Red Sox frequently mentioned as a possible suitor.
The left-hander remains in the City of Brotherly Love for now, but expect the rebuilding Phils to dangle him at the trade deadline. And expect the Red Sox, who have question marks in the starting rotation and trade chips on the farm, to be in the mix.
We could go on, but let's finish up in South Beach, where on Monday Giancarlo Stanton will take his first non-exhibition hacks since a Mike Fiers fastball to the face ended his 2014 season.
In the interim, Stanton signed a record-breaking contract and watched the Miami Marlins add pieces that could vault them into the playoff picture.
Mostly, we're just looking forward to watching the best pure power hitter on the planet play baseball again.
That's right, baseball. Are you ready?
All statistics current as of April 3 and courtesy of MLB.com.
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