Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Does it feel like the air is a little bit sweeter today? That there’s an extra pep in your step? Of course it does. Because IT’S OPENING DAY, y’all!
The 2026 Orioles season has arrived at last. This afternoon a huge, raucous crowd of O’s fans will converge at the newly renovated Camden Yards to welcome a new-look — and hopefully vastly improved — Orioles team.
Prize offseason signing Pete Alonso will debut in the orange and black and, with any luck, will sock a dinger
or two. Surprise 2025 breakout hurler Trevor Rogers, who last year at this time was an injured afterthought, will take the mound for the Opening Day assignment. Rookie slugger Samuel Basallo and six other Orioles will be experiencing Opening Day for the first time. And rookie skipper Craig Albernaz will manage his first major league game that counts. Of course, plenty of familiar faces will be there too, as Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and other fan favorites will hope to lead a bounceback from that dud of a 2025 season.
It’s going to be fun times at Oriole Park today. The pre-game introductions begin at 2:30, with first pitch scheduled for 3:05. The weather is supposed to be beautiful — a high of 77 degrees around game time and no rain in the forecast. For my money, Opening Day is the best holiday of the year. Don’t miss it!
So how are you feeling about the season to come, Camden Chatters? Are you excited to see how it all plays out, or do you have an uneasy feeling in your stomach? Feel free to give your predictions for the season, and while you’re at it, let us know your thoughts about the Orioles’ Opening Day roster.
For better or worse, we’ve got 162 games ahead of us, folks. It all starts today.
Links
Opening Day FAQ: Twins vs. Orioles (Thurs., 3 p.m. ET) – MLB.com
Here’s everything you need to know about the Orioles’ opener. The biggest question, of course, is: will Tyler O’Neill hit another Opening Day homer? It’s kind of his thing.
Get sprayed by the new Ravens head coach, and more opening day festivities – The Baltimore Banner
Albernaz isn’t the only new head coach in Baltimore who will be on site today, as Jesse Minter will serve as guest splasher in the second inning. I like this guy already.
Anthony Nunez definitely qualifies as the most surprising inclusion in the Opening Day bullpen, considering he was sent to the minors two weeks ago. Not to mention that he was an infielder two years ago.
It’s hard not to be excited about the upgrades to the ballpark. Look at that scoreboard!
2026 MLB season predictions: Forecasting the division races and postseason results – The Athletic
Keith Law not only picks the Orioles to grab the top wild card spot, but even has them winning a postseason series. I did not expect Keith Law to be the pie-in-the-sky Orioles optimist, but here we are.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 26th to Jeremiah Jackson, who got a wonderful birthday gift by making the first Opening Day roster of his career. He’ll be a bench guy, likely making starts at second and third and perhaps occasionally in the outfield, and hopefully swinging the bat as well as he did last year. Former Orioles born on March 26 include outfielders Jesús Tavárez (55) and Jarvis Brown (59), right-hander Mickey Weston (65), and lefty Dan Morogiello (71).
On this date in 1979, the Orioles released catcher Elrod Hendricks, who had spent a decade playing with the Birds over three different stints. The O’s brought Hendricks back that September to get one final MLB at-bat, but it was far from the end of his time in Baltimore. He became the Orioles’ bullpen coach and served in that role for 28 years, making him the longest tenured coach in O’s history.
And on this day two years ago, the O’s made a last-minute signing of veteran second baseman Tony Kemp to complete their Opening Day roster. Giving $1 million to Kemp was a curious decision at the time, made even more so by the fact that he lasted only five games in Baltimore before the O’s released him to make room for Jackson Holliday. It was the end of Kemp’s nine-year MLB career.
