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Just when it looked as though the MLB lockout was going to drag on and lead to games being lost, the league and the MLBPA came to their senses and got a deal done in enough time to preserve the full 162-game season. Originally slated to begin at the end of March, opening day in the MLB will now fall on Thursday, April 7. Fans and bettors alike are delighted that things are going to be going ahead as planned, but the upshot of the agreement between the players and the league means that we will see some changes this season. Let’s get into that first as we take a look at opening day in the MLB so you can plan your bets against the MLB Odds.

2022 MLB Opening Day Betting Rundown

Rule Changes for 2022 Season

Things are going to look a little bit different once baseball returns on April 7. The designated hitter is now universal instead of just in the AL, but the so-called Shohei Otani Rule means that pitcher who started the game but were pulled can still take their spot in the batting lineup.

The playoffs have now been expanded to 12 teams, making things a little less forgiving, and we will see doubleheaders return to the full 9 innings instead of the 7 that we saw during the pandemic. There are other changes besides these, but I’m sure we all want to hear about the games instead of the rules, so let’s move on to that.

2022 MLB Opening Day Schedule

As it stands now, there are 9 games set to go on the opening day of the MLB season. As is always the case on the first day, the action gets started early, with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox set to square off in the early afternoon. There will be a bunch of games scattered throughout the day, but the first game of the evening will see the Cincinnati Reds hit the road to begin a series with the defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves.

The complete opening day schedule is as follows:

Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees – 1:05 PM EST
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 PM EST
New York Mets at Washington Nationals – 4:05 PM EST
Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins – 4:10 PM EST
Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals – 4:10 PM EST
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals – 4:15 PM EST
Cincinnati Reds at Atlanta Braves – 7:20 PM EST
Houston Astros at LA Angels – 9:38 PM EST
San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks 9:40 PM EST

As tempting as it is to jump in right now and start wagering on games, the reality is that most teams have yet to name their starting pitchers for the opening game of the season. We are still in spring training at the moment, so we will start to see those names fill in sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, as we eagerly await the opening pitch of the new season, it might be a good idea to start thinking about who you might like to win the individual divisions, as well as the World Series. The individual games will take care of themselves once we get rolling and the action starts.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?