MLB Opening Day winners and losers: Historic marks set around the league

Loser: OF Jackson Chourio

Chourio’s Opening Day couldn’t have gone much worse, as the 21-year-old struggled mightily at the plate, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts — all swinging. To make matters worse, four of the five strikeouts came on pitches outside the strike zone.

His fifth strikeout came in a crucial ninth inning at-bat. With Milwaukee down 4-2 and runners on second and third with just one out, Chourio stepped in to face his former teammate, closer Devin Williams. Needing to deliver, Chourio battled to a full count but ultimately struck out, bringing an unfortunate end to a day to forget.

Making unfortunate history, Chourio was the second player in MLB history to go 0-for-5 while striking out five times in nine innings on Opening Day.

Winner: RF Wilyer Abreu

Abreu had the ideal Opening Day, delivering two clutch home runs to lead the Boston to a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers. Abreu went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, with two homers, four RBI and also drawing a walk.

He played hero twice, first with a solo shot in the fifth inning to even the score at 2-2, and then again with a three-run game-winning home run in the ninth inning to take a three-run lead.

Loser: Los Angeles Angels

The Angels had a rough start to their season, falling 8-1 to the Chicago White Sox — a team who set an unfortunate record with 121 losses last year, the most in MLB history. The Angels’ offense hit just .156 as a team (5-for-32) in the loss, and the pitching staff didn’t fare much better. 

New ace, Yusei Kikuchi, who signed a three-year, $63M contract, had a rocky team debut, allowing five hits and three earned runs in six innings. 

Things unraveled further for the pitching staff when rookie Ryan Johnson, making his MLB debut, entered in relief and had an even tougher outing than Kikuchi. Johnson gave up four hits — two of them home runs — and five runs in just 1.2 innings.

The Angels have now lost 10 of their last 13 Opening Day games, including three straight.

Winner: SP MacKenzie Gore

Gore delivered a historic Opening Day performance, setting the tone early in his fourth season in the majors. He pitched six innings, allowing just one hit and no runs, while striking out 13 batters — the most strikeouts recorded in an Opening Day game in Nationals history.

Loser: The Nationals' bullpen

While Gore delivered a historic outing, the Nationals' bullpen quickly unraveled and erased his efforts. Over the next four innings, Washington allowed seven runs, including four in the 10th inning of a 3-3 tie.

Relievers Lucas Sims, Jose Ferrer and Colin Poche combined for 2.2 innings pitched, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on five hits, including two home runs, and issuing three walks. The bullpen's struggles turned a promising performance into a disappointing home loss for the Nationals.

Winner: 1B Kyle Manzardo

Kyle Manzardo powered the Cleveland Guardians to a 7-4, extra-innings victory over their division-rival Kansas City Royals to open up their season. He went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and home run, driving in four.

In the sixth inning, with Cleveland trailing, Manzardo launched a 424-foot two-run home run, putting the Guardians ahead 4-3. 

After Kansas City forced the game into extra innings, Cleveland regained a 5-4 lead, and Manzardo came through once more with a two-run double, securing the 7-4 victory with two crucial insurance runs.

Loser: RP Ian Gibaut

Entering the ninth inning leading 3-2 over the San Francisco Giants, Ian Gibaut was called in to close out the game for the Cincinnati Reds, but faltered. In his brief 0.2-inning outing, Gibaut gave up three hits and four earned runs, allowing the Giants to take a 6-3 lead.

The loss marks Cincinnati's fourth Opening Day loss in the last five seasons, continuing a frustrating trend for the Reds.

Winner: Miami Marlins

Trailing 4-2 heading into the eighth inning, the Marlins rallied to tie the game with back-to-back singles from second baseman Otto Lopez and right fielder Dane Myers.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins needed just eight pitches to secure the victory. Catcher Nick Fortes led off with a triple, setting the stage for left fielder Kyle Stowers, who delivered the walk-off single to seal the win.

Stowers' hit marked the first Opening Day walk-off in Marlins history.

Loser: The Mets' Bats

Following a playoff run to the NLCS and an offseason that saw first baseman Pete Alonso return and outfielder Juan Soto sign to the largest contract in sports history, expectations for the Mets' offense were sky-high. However, their bats fell silent in the season opener in Houston.

The Mets managed only six hits in 30 at-bats, with five of those hits being singles. Their struggles were worse with runners in scoring position, as they went 0-for-6.

Even Juan Soto had a quiet debut, going 1-for-3. He ended his day in the ninth inning when he struck out with two runners on to end the game. Despite the disappointing start, the Mets will aim to regroup quickly and reignite their offense as the season progresses.