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The 2026 Major League Baseball season officially gets underway tonight, Wednesday when the New York Yankees visit the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park for a historic Opening Night game that will debut a brand-new automated pitch-challenge system — and stream live on Netflix for the first time ever.
First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET, with a pregame show beginning at 7 p.m. ET. It's the only game on the schedule tonight, with the rest of the league joining the action Thursday on Opening Day.
Aaron Judge, the Yankees' three-time American League Most Valuable Player, headlines a New York lineup that includes center fielder Trent Grisham, left fielder Cody Bellinger, and catcher Austin Wells. Left-hander Max Fried, who went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA last season, gets the ball for New York, making his first Opening Day start as a Yankee.
The Giants counter with right-hander Logan Webb, who is making his fifth straight Opening Day start for San Francisco. According to MLB.com, Webb led the Majors in innings pitched (207) and topped the National League in strikeouts (224) in 2025, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. San Francisco also opens a new chapter tonight under first-year manager Tony Vitello, the first college coach to jump directly to a Major League managing job without any prior professional experience.
The Giants' lineup includes newly acquired first baseman Rafael Devers, third baseman Matt Chapman, and shortstop Willy Adames, alongside catcher Patrick Bailey.
Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System Debuts
Tonight's game marks the first time the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be used in a regular-season MLB game. Tested in the minor leagues since 2022 and during the last two spring trainings, the system gives players the ability to appeal ball and strike calls made by home plate umpires in real time. Each team gets two challenges per game.
To challenge a call, the pitcher, catcher, or batter taps his helmet or hat immediately after the pitch is thrown — and must do so without any help from the dugout. The umpire acknowledges the challenge, and the outcome is then shown publicly via an animated replay on the stadium videoboard and TV broadcast. If a team wins a challenge, it keeps the right to challenge again. Lose two challenges, and the team can't challenge for the rest of the game.
According to ESPN, during 2026 spring training, 53% of 1,844 challenges were successful. Batters won just 45% of their challenges, while the defense — catchers and pitchers — succeeded 60% of the time. On average, there were 4.32 challenges per game.
All eyes tonight will be on Bailey, who is considered one of the game's best pitch framers. He won 10 of 14 challenges during spring training. New Giants manager Vitello called Bailey "an X-factor" for the team when it comes to the new system. Bailey himself said he sees it as "another level" he can take his game to.
For the Yankees, Grisham's elite plate discipline and Judge's unique 6-foot-7 strike zone make them interesting candidates to challenge early. Judge has historically been called for more low out-of-zone strikes than any other hitter in the Majors.
Team strategy will be critical. As reported by Athlon Sports via Yahoo Sports, teams generally plan to save challenges for high-leverage, late-game situations — avoiding early, low-count challenges that could burn them when it matters most.
A Night of Firsts
Tonight's game is also the first live MLB game ever broadcast on Netflix. Matt Vasgersian will handle play-by-play, joined in the booth by Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia and four-time All-Star Hunter Pence. Elle Duncan hosts the in-studio show, with analysts including all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, and three-time All-Star Anthony Rizzo.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence heading into the new season. "I feel like we've had an excellent camp," Boone said. "I like our depth. We'll have some competition that unfolds as the season goes on, because we've got good people and good players."
Webb, for his part, embraced the spotlight of facing the Yankees. "We're the Giants, we've got to give them a show," the Giants ace said. "This is show business, so we're going to go out there and hopefully compete our butts off and come out victorious."
The Yankees lead the all-time regular-season series against the Giants, 16 wins in 24 games. Including postseason play, New York holds a 39-27-1 advantage — a rivalry that dates back to the 1921 World Series.
Looking ahead, Netflix will also stream the T-Mobile Home Run Derby from Philadelphia on July 13th and the MLB Field of Dreams Game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins in Dyersville, Iowa, on August 13th.
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