Blue Jays and Athletics Get Ready for 2026 Opening Day Matchup
March 27th is Opening Day at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. At 7:07 p.m. EST, the Toronto Blue Jays will start their 2026 season against the Athletics for the first time in 30 years. The expectations for each team are drastically different: the Jays are looking for redemption after losing the 2025 World Series, while the latter is hoping to make the playoffs or just have a winning record, both of which they failed to do last year. Although the A’s Spring Training record of 13-15-1 is currently slightly better than Toronto’s, which is 11-14, those stats rarely reflect how a team will do in the regular season. That’s especially true this year since many star players spent most of March representing their countries in the 2026 World Baseball Classic instead. In addition, the A’s also have the upper hand when it comes to all-time wins against the Jays with 234-216. Both teams made some big moves this offseason, so all of these stats might become irrelevant on Friday. A larger chunk of Toronto’s pitching rotation is on the injured list as well, so they won’t be at full strength the first time their new depth is tested. Since it’s the start of a new MLB season, it could be anyone’s game.
In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League Championship and were only two outs away from winning the World Series when the LA Dodgers stole it from them. This year, their roster looks just as promising. Kevin Gausman was announced as their first starting pitcher. This will be his third time starting on Opening Day, but his first for Toronto. The two-time all-star went 10-11 in 2025 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts. He is at the top of the confirmed 2026 pitching rotation, followed by Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce, and Max Scherzer. This rotation will most likely switch up a lot at the beginning of the season because three of the Jays’ possible starters are currently on the IL. Trey Yesavage has a right shoulder impingement, Shane Bieber has been recovering from forearm fatigue, and José Berríos has a stress fracture in his right elbow. All three sound like they’re on the mend, however, so it shouldn’t be long before we see them in a game again.
Toronto also has a powerful batting lineup that includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, and Addison Barger, among many other talented players. Their batting averages last year were .292, .309, and .243, respectively. All three also had 20+ home runs each, with Springer even exceeding 30. On offense, their infield will be quite different from last season now that one of their star players, Bo Bichette, is on the Mets. Kazuma Okamoto will be the rookie to watch on both offense as a utility player and defense as another power hitter. He was acquired during the offseason and has already shown promise during Spring Training with a .333 AVG. The Blue Jays have mostly had him at third, but he could be moved around based on different opponents. Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez will rotate around the infield as well. Recently, Clement was a part of Team USA, while Giménez was on Team Venezuela, the two competitors in the WBC Championship. The injured list will definitely be Toronto’s greatest weakness, but on Friday, it’ll be revealed whether their roster additions are strong enough to combat that.
The Athletics are hoping Luis Severino continues the success he had at the end of last season. This will be his second year in a row as the Opening Day pitcher for them. After signing with his new team in 2024, the righty took a while to adjust to his environment. Once he did, though, he had a 3.10 ERA over his last nine starts. He also recently started for Team Dominican Republic in the WBC Semifinals against Team USA. Severino did not get the win, but he had a 2.45 ERA over the two games he played in the tournament.
If there’s one advantage that could get the A’s this win, it would be that they have no one currently on their IL. The Jays may have been the better team last year, but can they beat a team that’s at full strength when they’re missing key players? Another strength of this team is its promising young lineup. Despite the disappointing end to their season, the A’s did have the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year, Nick Kurtz. The first baseman hit 36 home runs last year and had a 1.002 OPS. Their shortstop, Jacob Wilson, was also a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year. He hit 13 home runs last year with an OPS of .800. Some other standouts on their defense are utility player Tyler Soderstrom, outfielder Lawrence Butler, catcher Shea Langeliers, and centerfielder Denzel Clarke. All of the players listed so far are still in their 20s, besides Severino, who’s 32.
The Jays may have the A’s beat when it comes to experience, but it seems that experience might be catching up to them. However, Toronto will have home-field advantage with a fanbase that surged in popularity last October, while the Athletics fans are spread across several cities at the moment. After 57 seasons in Oakland, they moved to Sacramento last year, intending to land in Las Vegas in 2028. So, the A’s will not only be the away team, but they might have less support overall than in previous years. When you add in all of the newer players, the dedicated fanbase might feel like they don’t even know who their beloved team is anymore. The good news is, it’s a brand new season for both teams, meaning anything can happen. The Athletics will need to be at the top of their game and be careful not to underestimate the Blue Jays, who will be starting the season with something to prove. Toronto fans will have to hope the offseason was enough time for their team to adjust to their new teammates and unexpected pitching rotation.
It’s clear that these teams have strong defenses, but offense is really where they both shine. It is probably safe to expect multiple home runs from both teams, making this a high-scoring game. There are so many unknowns going into this game for both teams, but Toronto will be hard to beat for any team this season. Thankfully, they were able to prepare for their extensive IL during the offseason and should be just fine with their pitching. Blue Jays fans have been itching for more baseball after being disappointed last season, but they also gained a lot of hope. It’ll be the team’s 50th season, and the ALDS banner will be hung as well, so the stadium will be full of celebrations. I believe the Blue Jays will get a win on Friday, but the Athletics have the potential to put up a good fight. If I had to pick a score, I’d guess 8-4. They might go back and forth for a few innings at first, but once starting pitchers come out and Toronto gets in its groove, they should have a couple of high-scoring innings to seal the deal and start another promising season off with a win.
