LEADING OFF: Banner day for Mets, Story time at Coors Field
A look at what's happening all around the majors today:
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BANNER DAY
Excited to celebrate a thrilling 2015 season with New York fans, the Mets face Philadelphia in their home opener. Former pennant-winning stars Rusty Staub, John Franco and Edgardo Alfonzo will be on hand to hoist the National League championship flag during pregame festivities. Jacob deGrom is scheduled to start for the Mets, though his wife is due with their first baby (a boy). The All-Star right-hander plans to head for home in Florida whenever she goes into labor. ''Definitely an exciting time,'' deGrom said. If he is unavailable to start, manager Terry Collins said he would probably turn to 42-year-old Bartolo Colon.
GOOD TO BE HOME
Detroit, Seattle, Colorado and the Chicago White Sox also play in front of their own fans for the first time. Kirk Gibson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Jordan Zimmermann and the Tigers take on the New York Yankees. Gibson, a former slugger for Detroit, announced last year that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He does some broadcasting now for Fox Sports Detroit and was at spring training with the Tigers this year as a guest instructor.
WELCOME BACK
First-pitch honors in Seattle go to new Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., and the Mariners will try to keep up their power surge against Oakland at spacious Safeco Field. Seattle hit nine home runs during a three-game series at Texas, four by Robinson Cano. He became the 29th player in major league history to homer in each of the first three games of a season.
LONG STORY AT SHORT
Colorado rookie shortstop Trevor Story can't stop hitting homers and San Diego can't seem to score. Something has to give in the Rockies' home opener against the Padres, right?
Story has homered in three straight games - a record to start a career - and the Hall of Fame asked for some mementos. Story donated his helmet and batting gloves, but not his bat because ''I'm very superstitious,'' he said.
The Padres couldn't find home plate in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first major league team to be shut out in its first three games.
ALL THE WAY UP
Right-hander Ross Stripling makes his major league debut for the Dodgers in San Francisco after skipping Triple-A altogether. A 2012 fifth-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, he went 3-6 with a 3.66 ERA for Double-A Tulsa and Class A Great Lakes last year.
''For me it's just kind of telling him to enjoy the moment, go out there and be himself and compete. You're here because you belong here,'' new Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said.
Giants catcher Buster Posey is scheduled to get his first day off this season before catching Madison Bumgarner in his latest showdown with Clayton Kershaw on Saturday afternoon.
INJURED CUB
The Cubs are expected to find out more about left fielder Kyle Schwarber's sprained ankle, suffered when he collided with Dexter Fowler in a play that resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Arizona's Jean Segura in Chicago's 14-6 win Thursday night.
The Cubs said X-rays were negative for any fracture, but an MRI was scheduled for Friday.
With two outs in the second, Segura hit one to deep left-center, Schwarber converging on it on the run from left field and Fowler from center. They came together on the warning track, in front of the 413-foot sign, their legs tangled as the ball rolled away. Schwarber, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft and Chicago's backup catcher, stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped to his feet and taken from the field in a cart.
