The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres took part in a two-game series across the Pacific Ocean in Seoul, South Korea, this week to get the Major League Baseball regular season underway. But baseball fans and customers at the best US betting sites will have to wait until later this month to watch the real Opening Day.
The 30-team league gets underway in earnest on March 28, with the Dodgers as the Opening Day World Series betting favorite.
Caesars Sportsbook lists the Dodgers at +300 to win it all this year, beating out the Atlanta Braves (+600), New York Yankees (+800) and Houston Astros (+850) as of March 21.
We don’t know who will win it all this year, but one thing we know for sure is that there will be plenty of home runs hit from the parks of the east to the baseball chapels out west. In the 2023 MLB season, 5,862 round-trippers were hit.
So USBettingReport.com, your source for legal online sports betting news, created odds on which MLB players have the best chance of hitting the league’s first home run come March 28, which fans will recognize as the true Opening Day.
Our favorites to hit the first home run on March 28 are all heavy hitters. Two-time Home Run Derby champ Pete Alonso tops the list, at +450 odds, a year after the New York Mets mainstay at first base bashed 46 dingers.
Trailing the veteran from Flushing are William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers (+700), Francisco Lindor of the Mets (+1000), Rhys Hoskins and Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers (+1200 each), Francisco Alvarez of the Mets (+1400) and Brewers veteran outfielder Christian Yelich (+1500).
Last year, Alonso finished third in the MLB in home runs. Contreras had 17 in 141 games and Lindor bashed 31 in 160 games with the Mets. Milwaukee and New York meeting in the Big Apple at 1:10 p.m. Eastern on March 28.
That early first pitch gives players from both sides an advantage when it comes to hitting the first home run of 2024 Opening Day. That’s why so many Brew Crew and Mets players are on our hypothetical odds board. These odds are exclusive to USBR and not to be found with legal sports betting apps.
Again, this is for the true Opening Day, even though the Dodgers and Padres have already started their regular seasons. But March 28 will be the first full day of the 2024 regular season for folks using MLB betting promos.
Among the more intriguing games on March 28, we have two National League contenders meeting when the Atlanta Braves visit the Philadelphia Phillies. Two strong American League teams will clash when the New York Yankees visit the Houston Astros. The defending World Series champions open at home as the Texas Rangers host the Chicago Cubs in an interleague matchup.
And of course, the first game of the day gives us the favorites to hit the first home run on Opening Day: The Milwaukee Brewers face the New York Mets at 1:10 p.m. Eastern, almost two hours before the next game starts. Should that game not produce a homer (or if there is a rain delay), folks around the country and especially those who enjoy Maryland sports betting might want to keep an eye on the Baltimore Orioles as they host the Los Angeles Angels at 3:05 Eastern. All times below are Eastern time.
Entering the 2024 league year, the odds-on favorites to win it all are the Dodgers. That is of little surprise given the way that Los Angeles spent $771.4 million on free agents this offseason, headlined by the team’s 10-year, $700 million pact with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers (+350) are the Opening Day World Series favorites across mobile sportsbooks in America, with DraftKings Sportsbook listing Dave Roberts’ bunch ahead of the Atlanta Braves (+450), Houston Astros (+750), Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees (+1100 each).
The road to history has already begun for L.A. in the capital city of South Korea, though American baseball fans will have to wait until the end of the month to watch Ohtani and company take the diamond for the first time stateside. Odds below are according to DraftKings Sportsbook on March 21 and subject to change.
The 2024 Major League Baseball season (MLB) officially began March 20 with a two-game series between the Dodgers and Padres. However, the official Opening Day is Thursday, March 28.
The first game of the 2024 MLB season was the overseas matchup in Seoul, South Korea on March 20 when the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2.
The official MLB Opening Day 2024 is Thursday, March 28, 2024. The day’s first scheduled matchup is between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets at Citi Field, at 1:10 p.m. Eastern time.
After their acquisition of Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and more, the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored to win the World Series (+350) followed by the Atlanta Braves (+450) and the Houston Astros (+750) according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at USBettingReport.com specializing in covering sports betting issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
