Major League Baseball

MLB 2022: The magic of Opening Day returns for Astros-Angels

Updated May. 4, 2022 8:02 p.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

The base paths are lined, the popcorn is popping, the bases are set, and the outfield grass is cut perfectly down to the last blade.

It’s here, the most glorious day of the year: Opening Day.

A month ago, with the lockout still ongoing, we didn’t know if we’d get here, but we've made it, baseball fans.

I got to be part of many Opening Days as a player: too many to count in Little League, four in high school, three in college and five as a member of the Detroit Tigers organization.

They never get old, but this one will be extra special.

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Why? Well, for one, this will be my first "normal" Opening Day covering baseball for FOX Sports. For last year's Opening Day, MLB stadiums allowed limited capacity for fans and media members.

I wasn’t one of those lucky few, so I took in Opening Day at home.

This year, I’m headed to Anaheim, where the reigning unanimous AL MVP, Shohei Ohtani, will take the mound and lead off for the Angels.

This, of course, makes it extra special for me because of the huge appreciation I have had for Ohtani since day one. I was all-in on him last season — with a "Flippin' Bats" segment called "This Week in Shohei Ohtani News" — and he proved me right with a record-setting season for the ages.

What's more, last season marked the first full year of my life in which I never got to watch my brother, Justin Verlander, throw a baseball. In 2020, he had Tommy John surgery, so he missed most of that season and all of 2021.

The top storylines for the AL West in 2022

Ben Verlander tackles the top AL West storylines, including Shohei Ohtani defending his MVP title, the hot newcomer on the Seattle Mariners and the pitching staff of the Houston Astros.

But now, he's back!

And as luck would have it, on Opening Day in Anaheim, the Angels are hosting the Houston Astros.

Now, Justin won’t be starting Opening Day. His routine as he makes his comeback from Tommy John didn’t line up for that to happen, but he will pitch in the series, and he will face Ohtani.

Finally, as a baseball fan, this Opening Day is going to be incredible. Never in my lifetime have we seen a season like the one we just witnessed from Ohtani, and Thursday will be his first home game since he won the MVP. Also, Mike Trout, one of the greatest of all time, will make his return after missing most of 2021.

The past few years, the Angels haven’t been very good, but the baseball world wants to see Trout and Ohtani in the playoffs, and there's a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the team after an offseason of addressing many of the roster's needs.

‘Back-to-back, baby!’

Ben Verlander makes his predictions for the 2022 American League awards, including the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani repeating as MVP.

For me, Thursday will be quite simply one of the best Opening Days of my career — as a player or covering baseball. It was a long time in the making, but it's finally here.

And I can’t wait to be in Anaheim to soak it all in.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.