True-or-false for first month of 2026 MLB season: Yankees' AL dominance, Ohtani's NL Cy Young candidacy and more

The first full month of the 2026 MLB season wraps on Thursday. While still early, World Series and surprise playoff contenders, awards favorites and unexpected storylines are already emerging.

Below, we examine what's real and not through the first month of the regular season by playing a game of truth or false.

New York Yankees will run away with AL's best record

The Yankees are off to their best start since 2022, when they were 22-8 through 30 games and went on to win the AL East with a 99-63 record. They're one of just two AL teams more than a game above .500 and the only with a double-digit positive run-differential.

Through the first month of the season, New York's a clear No. 1 with no clear intraleague challenger. Teams such as the Detroit Tigers (15-15) and Seattle Mariners (15-16), expected to contend for the AL pennant, are underperforming, while the Tampa Bay Rays have an 18-11 record despite only outscoring opponents by one run (136-135), possessing one of the league's worst relief staffs and ranking last in the AL in fielding percentage. | TRUE

Athletics will win the AL West

The Athletics (15-14) haven’t been to the playoffs since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but are firmly in the mix through the first month of the season, sitting atop the AL West by a game over the Mariners. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, catcher Shea Langeliers and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom have provided power, combining for 36 extra-base hits. Shortstop Jacob Wilson and centerfielder Denzel Clarke have made up for underwhelming starts at the plate as two of the top fielders on a team with the majors' highest fielding percentage. 

But the A's still have flaws. While pitching has improved, it remains suspect. Luis Severino is struggling a 5.17 ERA. Despite going 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in six starts, Aaron Civale has been hit hard at an alarming rate (53.1 percent), suggesting his ERA should be over a run higher (4.53), per Baseball Savant.

The division is also compact. The Texas Rangers (14-16) trail by 1.5 games in third, making the AL West a potential three-horse race. As promising as the A's start has been, they aren't ready to be anointed champs just yet. | FALSE

The Atlanta Braves are the Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest threat in the NL

Following a wasted 2025, the Braves have been red-hot though the early part of the 2026 season. Their 21 wins are tied for the second-most through 30 games in franchise history, and the plus-68 run-differential is tied for the best with the 1997 team, which finished 101-61. (h/t Stathead)

Atlanta's impressive start is more eye-opening considering it hasn't gotten much production out of outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. The 2023 NL MVP is slashing .248/.360/.381 with two home runs and nine RBI in 136 plate appearances.

The Braves should get healthier on the mound as the season progresses, too. Starters Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep and closer Raisel Iglesias are on the injured list, and as each returns, it will make a staff that already ranks No. 1 in ERA (3.09) even more daunting. | TRUE

Shohei Ohtani will win the NL Cy Young Award

The four-time MVP's trophy collection is already full, but an NL Cy Young could be in his future. Through five starts, Ohtani has a MLB-low 0.60 ERA, allowing two earned runs on 17 hits in 30 innings. His fastball, which averages 97.7 mph, has been nearly unhittable, with opponents posting a .137 batting average with 15 strikeouts against the four-seamer.

Ohtani has pitched six innings in each of his five starts and threw a season-high 104 pitches in his most recent on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, finishing allowing one earned run in six innings. If we've learned anything from watching the all-time great over the years, it's that anything's possible. That includes bringing home his first Cy Young trophy this season. | TRUE

The Boston Red Sox solved their problems by firing manager Alex Cora

The Red Sox cleaned house this week, firing manager Alex Cora and five other staff members as part of a massive shakeup amid a rough 12-18 start. But that framing might not be entirely accurate. Rather than a deep clean, Boston may have done the equivalent of shoving its mess to the back of the closet.

As WEEI's Rob Bradford noted on social media, one former player described the shuffling as being "like s----ing your pants and changing your shirt." 

The Red Sox have three starters — shortstop Trevor Story, third baseman Caleb Durbin and outfielder Jarren Duran — who rank in the bottom nine percent in the majors in weighted on-base average. Only the Mets have a lower slugging percentage as a team.

Perhaps even worse is the state of the Boston's pitching staff. Entering Wednesday, Red Sox starters are No. 28 in wins above average (-1.3) while posting a 4.73 ERA. Opponents have an 11.3 percent barrel rate, the league's fifth-highest rate, and 41.1 percent hard-hit rate, which ranks 10th, per FanGraphs, establishing that their struggles are no fluke. It's going to take a heck of a lot more than firing Cora for the Sox to get back in the division race. | FALSE