Opening Day is special. It feels like a sign of spring and of hope. And that's where the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves on Thursday afternoon when they match up in a game televised nationally on NBC.

The Mets begin their 2026 MLB season against the Pirates at 1:15 p.m. ET from Citi Field. NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes will be on the mound for the Pirates against Freddy Peralta, who will be making his first regular-season Mets start.

Opening Day is upon us, meaning that games for the next six-ish months count. The games counting for something means that even casual MLB fans will now be eager to spend their nights in front of their televisions watching their favorite teams (or some of the most fun teams).