Baseball’s new year is officially upon us. On Sunday, six teams will begin their regular-season schedule -- a 162-game march that will lead the good and lucky to October.
Here’s how you can watch one of those games -- the one between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
When: 8:35 p.m. ET
Where: Busch Stadium
TV: ESPN
Streaming: MLB.tv, WatchESPN
Odds: CHC -130 (risk 130 to win 100)
The probables
Lester will make his second Opening Day start since joining the Cubs, and his first since 2015. (Jake Arrieta got the assignment last year.) In 2016, he went 19-5 with a 164 ERA+ and a 3.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This will be the sixth Opening Day start in Lester’s career.
Martinez becomes the first Cardinals Opening Day starter other than Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, or Chris Carpenter since 2004. (Throw in Matt Morris, and you have to go back to 2001.) Martinez earned the distinction with a strong 2016 that saw him tally a 3.04 ERA and 16-9 record. This will be Martinez’s first start since agreeing to his long-term extension.
