MLB Baseball

2026-03-25 - New York Yankees at San Francisco Giants

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

New York Yankees @ San Francisco Giants
United States : Major League Baseball
Wednesday 25th March 2026 - Scheduled 8:05pm
12:05am (British Time)

Preview

Have five months really passed since history was made as the Los Angeles Dodgers' Miguel Rojas hit a monster Home Run at the top of the Ninth Inning to become the first to ever tie a World Series Game 7 as late as that? The Dodgers moved into Extra Innings and secured back to back World Series after narrowly seeing off the Toronto Blue Jays, but teams saddle up and get ready for a long regular season in 2026.

The World Baseball Classic has been played in the off-season this time around and the United States were upset by Venezuela in the Final of that tournament- some have suggested it should be moved into the middle of the Major League season going forward with teams demanding important players skip parts of the WBC to rejoin Major League teams for Spring Training ahead of the new season.

Aaron Judge was particularly disappointed that the United States were not able to get over the line and that has been his feeling at the end of recent New York Yankees seasons too- he may have been lining up in the San Francisco Giants uniform if the Yankees had not extended the contract of the Captain, but New Yorkers are not convinced there have been enough additions to this roster to get over the line in the World Series later in the year.

It is the beginning of a new era for the San Francisco Giants who are playing in the same Division as the Los Angeles Dodgers and with most hoping they can fight for a Wild Card return to the post-season. New Manager Tony Vitello has never played or Coached in the Major Leagues, which means he will be under immediate pressure from an expectant fanbase, but there is confidence in San Francisco even if the Giants have failed to to make the Playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons.

The one time they made the post-season is the one time the Giants have had a winning record in that time and so there is a big gap to bridge towards the two time defending Champions.

San Francisco will give the Opening Day start to Logan Webb who finished with a 15-11 record and 3.22 ERA from thirty-four Major League starts in 2025. He had a bit of a rough time in Spring Training, but Webb only allowed a single run in almost 9 Innings thrown in the World Baseball Classic.

Logan Webb is experienced and will be making his fifth Opening Day start in a row, although the Giants are 2-2 in the previous four.

The starter has a 1-2 record with a 5.50 ERA in his three career starts against the New York Yankees, but that win was earned in April 2025 when he held this opponent to three runs in 5 Innings thrown on the road.

The Yankees are always going to be judging a season on whether they have won a Championship or not, but sixteen years have passed since last picking up a World Series. Two years ago they reached the one and only World Series in that time and the Yankees fanbase is frustrated with the current direction that upper management have been treading.

New York will begin a new season with Max Fried going to the mound for Opening Day after putting together a 19-5 record and 2.86 ERA in thirty-two starts in 2025. That was his first season with the Yankees, although some will be focusing on Fried's last appearance on the mound when he was roughed up by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series.

Max Fried did not face the San Francisco Giants in 2025, but he previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves in the National League and has a 4-1 record and a 2.68 ERA in nine career appearances against them. Eight of those have been made in starts and Fried is an experienced pitcher who should not be overwhelmed in the limelight of this spot.

San Francisco did win two of three on the road against the Yankees in 2025, but they were swept in all three games when last hosting New York in June 2024.

Prediction

This is the start of a very long regular season in Major League Baseball and this year Opening Day will begin with a standalone game on Wednesday evening.

Everyone else will get started on Thursday, but there should be plenty of eyes on the Giants and Yankees as they begin what they hope will be a very successful 2026.

Logan Webb is a starter that deserves a lot of respect, but so is Max Fried and it may be an opportunity for the New York Yankees to finally move past the American League Divisional Series loss to American League East rivals Toronto Blue Jays.

The bullpens will likely get plenty of action as starting arms are not asked to be taxed in March when they will be so important in October and the New York Yankees may just edge this first game of the 2026 season.