Spring has finally sprung upon the new year, and there’s no better indicator than baseball returning, and the Toronto Blue Jays kicked off the 2025 MLB regular season on March 27, at home against the Baltimore Orioles. After a disappointing end to the season last year and missing the playoffs, Toronto came into this season looking to turn a new leaf with a newly loaded roster, ready to go and come out of the gates sprinting and capture their first regular season win of 2025.

It was announced prior to the game that Jose Berrios would be selected to be the opening day starter for the Jays, making it his second straight appearance on the bump to open the season for Toronto. Many new faces would be announced to have made the opening day roster as well, including all of their offseason signings like Jeff Hoffman, Anthony Santander, Andres Gimenez, and others. For Santander however, this opening season series would be quite different for him, as he would be suiting up to take on his former ball club for the first four games of the regular season. While playing for Baltimore his entire career from 2017-2024, Santander mustered up a total of 155 home runs, with 105 of them coming in just the last three years, a large part of that coming from his 44 homer campaign just last season. That going along with a career 114 OPS+, made Santander a highly desired target for every team this past winter, and made him the Jays’ most valuable addition by far coming into this season.

At the time of first pitch, it would be a relaxing 10 degrees celsius outside the Rogers Centre, and fans were all waiting in anticipation and excitement for the game to get under way.

The game finally kicked off after the opening ceremonies, and Jose Berrios took to the mound to begin his season with a strikeout on Baltimore’s Colton Cowser. However, next he’d be tasked with setting down one of the best hitting catchers in the league in Adley Rutschman. on a 2-1 pitch, Rutschman got a hold of one and sent the ball into the right field bleachers, giving the O’s their first homer and run of the season, and put the Jays down early in the top of the first inning.

Baltimore continued their scoring after shutting out the Blue Jays in the bottom half of the first, when a close call at first base off a ground ball, allowed a run to score and the lead would increase to 2-0. Where the game would truly open up though, would come just an inning later in the top of the third, when Tyler O’Neill stepped up to the plate carrying a five year homerun streak on opening day. O’Neill would extend that streak to six straight years after taking Berrios deep the other way with a couple of runners on to put the game to 5-0 for the Orioles.

Toronto would finally get their offence going in the bottom of the 4th inning when newcomer Andres Gimenez cracked the first homerun of the year for the Jays over the wall for a 2-run homer to shorten the deficit to 6-2. However, unfortunately for the Jays and all of the hometown fans, these two runs would be all that Toronto could muster, as Baltimore would be fully in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game, chasing Berrios out of the game after five innings and surrendering six earned runs. This is kind of what Berrios has been known for in recent years, he’s been able to put in stellar performances and long lasting consistent seasons as a whole, but always seems to have games early in the year that make him look completely out of place. The bullpen would come in and make no difference as the Orioles blew out the Jays in a commanding 12-2 win and stunned all of Toronto on opening day.

This was most definitely not the way fans were hoping the Jays would open the season, but confidence still remains high that the team will have a successful year, and Toronto will have more chances this week to avenge themselves, as they play the Orioles three more days in a row as part of their opening four-game series.

Winner: Baltimore Orioles (1-0)

Loser: Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

C. Mullins 3H, 2HR, 5RBI

A. Rutschman 3H, 2HR, 3RBI

T. O’Neill 3H, 1HR, 3RBI