MLB 2020 Opening Day results, highlights: Yankees bt Nationals 4-1, Dodgers thrash Giants

After the delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a prolonged spell of intense negotiations between the league and MLBPA, the MLB 2020 season finally kicked off on Thursday, July 23. The Opening Day of the shortened season was a double-header: Reigning World Series Champions hosted heavyweights New York Yankees, while the Los Angeles Dodgers began their campaign against San Francisco Giants. 

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MLB 2020: Yankees vs Nationals

Led by Gerrit Cole, the Yankees beat Nationals by a score of 4-1. Courtesy of a two-hour delay due to bad weather, the game was shortened to six innings. Cole starred on his Yankees debut, going five innings of one run, one hit ball with five strikeouts. In the other end, left fielder Giancarlo Stanton led Yankees' offence, scoring a homer and three RBIs to down the defending champions. The second game of the three-game series will be played on Saturday night (Sunday IST). 

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MLB 2020: Giants vs Dodgers

The Giants and Dodgers renewed their rivalry on Thursday at the Dodger Stadium. Mookie Betts made his Dodgers debut as the home team absolutely battered the visitors, winning by a comfortable 8-1 score. Betts had a decent outing, going one for five. Enrique Hernandez led the Dodgers' impressive offence as the 28-year-old notched four hits, including a two-run home and registered 5 RBIs. The Dodgers are now 1-0 up in the opening four-game series against the Giants. The sides will meet again on Friday, July 24 (Saturday, July 25 IST). 

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MLB fixtures: Friday, July 24

• Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets, 4:10 PM ET
• Detroit Tigers vs Cincinnati Reds, 6:10 PM ET
• Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays, 6:40 PM ET
• Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 PM ET
• Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Indians, 7:10 PM ET
• Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs, 7:10 PM ET
• Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox, 7:30 PM ET
• Colorado Rockies vs Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM ET
• Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox, 8:10 PM ET
• Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals, 8:15 PM ET
• Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros, 9:10 PM ET
• Arizona Diamondbacks vs San Diego Padres, 9:10 PM ET
• San Francisco Giants vs LA Dodgers, 9:40 PM ET
• LA Angels vs Oakland Athletics, 10:10 PM ET

Note: The Indian Standard Time (IST) will be nine hours and 30 minutes ahead of ET. Dates will vary accordingly.

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(Image Credits: MLB Twitter Handle)