Getty Gerrit Cole will start opening day for the New York Yankees when they take on the Nationals.
The return of Major League Baseball is finally here, and it’ll start with a bang when the defending World Series Champion Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees on Thursday night.
The game starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of the game online:
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Watch ESPN on Vidgo
ESPN is one of 68 total channels included with Vidgo, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can then watch the Yankees vs Nationals live on your computer via the Vidgo website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or other compatible streaming device via the Vidgo app.
Watch ESPN on Hulu With Live TV
ESPN is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies. You can watch immediately with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Yankees vs Nationals live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Watch ESPN on Sling TV
ESPN is one of 31 channels included in the Sling Orange package. For the first month, it costs $20 ($30 per month after that) and includes Showtime, Starz and Epix for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Yankees vs Nationals live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
Yankees vs Nationals Preview
Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert and a prominent figure during the COVID-19 crisis, will throw out the first pitch in the game, MLB’s first in four months after the Nationals invited him to do so.
The defending champs will retain most of their World Series-winning lineup, although they will look slightly different on the infield this year after losing third baseman Anthony Rendon to free agency. Washington’s hottest young prospect, Carter Kieboom, will likely share time at third with veteran Asdrúbal Cabrera, who is expected to get the start opening day.
Max Scherzer will be on the mound for the Nationals for the first game of the series. Scherzer went 11-7 last year, with a 2.92 ERA. The veteran right-hander has gone 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 42 1/3 innings of work against the Yanks in his career, and he says he’s more than ready to face them opening day.
“I know I actually feel really good physically coming into this,” Scherzer said this week. “Even though we only had four Spring Training starts, I feel like I put myself in a really good position to be absolutely ready for Opening Day, with all the things considering. I’m just looking forward to going out there and competing.”
Here’s the projected starting lineup for the Nationals:
- Trea Turner, SS
- Adam Eaton, RF
- Starlin Castro, 2B
- Juan Soto, LF
- Howie Kendrick, DH
- Eric Thames, 1B
- Asdrúbal Cabrera, 3B
- Kurt Suzuki, C
- Victor Robles, CF
For the Yankees, this shortened 60-game season will be about revenge.
Gerrit Cole, the $324 million man, will be on the mound as the Day 1 starter for the Yanks. The former Houston Astros pitcher led the AL in ERA last season with 2.50 while also leading the majors in strikeouts (326). This will be his first game in pinstripes.
It was the Astros who ended the Yankees dreams of World Series glory in the ALCS last year, which is something outfielder Aaron Judge is using as fuel for the fire this season.
“I’m still thinking a lot about how last year ended,” Judge said. “That’s still stuck with me. Still motivation for me to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But I think the boys are ready and we’re ready to get rolling.”
With Cole getting the start, here’s a look at how the starting lineup should look for the Yanks:
- DJ LeMahieu 2B
- Aaron Judge RF
- Gleyber Torres SS
- Giancarlo Stanton DH
- Aaron Hicks CF
- Gary Sanchez C
- Luke Voit 1B
- Brett Gardner LF
- Gio Urshela 3B