A series between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants on March 25 opened the first week of Major League Baseball’s 2026 season. The start of the season sparked excitement across the league as fans and teams settled into a new year of competition.
From the reigning World Series champions to underdog teams, baseball fans prepared to watch their favorite teams take the field for the first time this season. Isaiah Sanborn, senior mechanical engineering major, shared his excitement about the start of the season.
“Out of ten, my excitement is a 12. Baseball season is the best time of the year because anything can happen with any team,” Sanborn said.
A new season also brought new rules. After several years of testing the Automated Ball Strike system during spring training and Minor League Baseball games, Major League Baseball introduced the system to the majors for the first time this season.
“The ABS challenge system being implemented this year… the drama of players challenging calls will lead to lots of fun moments,” Sanborn said.
Under the ABS system, players could challenge an umpire’s call and potentially overturn it based on the system’s results. The rule change created new opportunities for teams to influence key moments during a game.
Despite new rules, fans still looked forward to the familiar experience of spending nights at the ballpark watching baseball. Noah Mallet, senior psychology major and Los Angeles Dodgers fan, said he was eager to see how the season unfolded.
“I just love baseball and yeah, just feels like it’s going to be an exciting season,” Mallet said. “Not just because the Dodgers are stacked, but there’s a lot of competition around the league too and it’d be fun to see who else is going to compete and give the Dodgers a run for their money.”
As the two-time reigning World Series champions, the Dodgers entered the season aiming for another title. At the same time, other teams hoped to challenge the defending champions. ESPNbaseball writer Jorge Castillo wrote about the significance of a potential third consecutive championship.
“The Dodgers could become the first team to win back-to-back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees completed the feat in 2000,” Castillo wrote.
While the Dodgers continued to dominate the National League in recent seasons, several teams established themselves as strong postseason contenders in both leagues.
“The AL East is always stacked… the Yankees, you know look pretty good, Red Sox look pretty solid,” Mallet said.
Although fans made early predictions, the excitement of baseball often came from its unpredictability. With a 162-game schedule, teams had time to recover from early struggles and compete for the Commissioner’s Trophy.
As fans filled stadiums and teams returned to the field, opening week served as a reminder of the excitement surrounding a new baseball season. With new rules and the Dodgers chasing a third consecutive title, the 2026 MLB season promised months of competition and unexpected moments.
