Opening Day isn’t for a week, but we’ve got regular season baseball on Wednesday morning. The Major League Baseball kicks off on Wednesday morning in Japan for the Japan Opening Series and a game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s. For those on the West Coast it’s early. It’s really, really early. For everyone in the United States, in fact, it’s early. But for those on the West Coast, we’re talking extremely early. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the game: When: Wednesday, March 20 & Thursday, March 21 First Pitch: 5:35 a.m. ET (6:35 p.m. in Tokyo) TV Listing: ESPN Streaming: MLB.tv, WatchESPN Enjoy it!<doc-sep>The 2019 Major League Baseball regular season will officially kick off in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday when the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics participate in the Japan Opening Series. It's the first time that regular season games will be played in Japan since 2008, when the Boston Red Sox and Athletics opened the campaign at the Tokyo Dome. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming two-game set. When and where? Masterpress / Getty Images Sport / Getty Date Time (ET) Mariners' SP Athletics' SP TV March 20* 5:35 a.m. Marco Gonzales Mike Fiers ESPN/MLB.com March 21 5:35 a.m. Yusei Kikuchi Marco Estrada ESPN/MLB.com * Mariners beat Athletics 9-7. WP: Marco Gonzales, LP: Mike Fiers, SV: Hunter Strickland Both games will take place at the Tokyo Dome, with Oakland officially serving as the home team. That designation doesn't mean much, except that the Athletics will only get 79 true home games at the Coliseum this season. And it means even less when considering that the Tokyo crowd will almost certainly treat the Mariners like the home side during games. Why? For starters, Seattle will run out Ichiro Suzuki for what could be the final games of his Hall of Fame career. Additionally, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi will make his first career major-league start after signing with Seattle from the Japan league (NPB) this offseason. It's somewhat unfortunate that the Seibu Lions - Kikuchi's old team - weren't included in the recent NPB vs. MLB exhibition games, but the Japan native will undoubtedly be given a hero's welcome during his start on March 21. Yes, these games count Masterpress / Getty Images Sport / Getty The Mariners and A's traveled to Japan last week and took part in exhibition games against teams from NPB. Next, their head-to-head matchups in Tokyo will count toward the MLB regular-season standings. After the Japan Series, the Athletics will resume their spring training schedule with three exhibition games against the San Francisco Giants. Then, they'll continue their regular season by hosting four contests against the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners will also travel back to the United States and play spring training games against the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres before resuming their regular season with a four-game set against the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox. Who are the players to watch? Masterpress / Getty Images Sport / Getty Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: Though Japanese fans are holding out hope that Ichiro will return home for a final run in NPB, the Japan Series is likely to feature the 45-year-old icon's final playing appearances in his homeland. And despite musing that he wants to suit up until age 50, this is also likely the last time Ichiro will don a big-league uniform. He's gone just 2-for-25 in spring training this year, and he's unlikely to stick on the rebuilding Mariners roster after the Japan games. But while Ichiro is clearly a shell of his former self, the potential for one last big moment from the future Hall of Famer is reason alone to tune in. Franklin Barreto, A's: The former top prospect is coming off a fantastic spring performance that saw him slash .375/.459/.594 in Cactus League play. The production earned Barreto a spot on the expanded roster for the Athletics' trip to Japan, but there's no guarantee he'll stick around when the team returns to Oakland. The 23-year-old has the misfortune of competing for a spot in a crowded A's infield, and since he's got minor-league options, Las Vegas is probably where he'll head next. Before that happens, the Tokyo games represent a big opportunity for Barreto to turn some heads. Yusei Kikuchi, Mariners: When Ichiro isn't at bat, all eyes will be on another returning Japanese player in Kikuchi. The left-hander joined the Mariners as a free agent this winter after dominating with the NPB's Seibu Lions, and he'll become the first Japanese player to make an MLB debut on home soil when he starts Game 2 of the series. Kikuchi's already been given the rock-star treatment in Japan this week, and the Tokyo crowd will surely be in his corner. Former players being honored Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images Sport / Getty The Japan Series will feature a number of former players throwing out first pitches, catching first pitches, and standing in the batter's box. The list includes Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in history to move to MLB, as well as Hall of Fame legends Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr.<doc-sep>The 2019 Major League Baseball season has officially begun. Early Wednesday morning in the U.S., the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics opened the season at the Tokyo Dome. The two AL West rivals are starting the regular season with a pair of games in Japan. They'll then return home to continue their regular seasons next week. Thanks to a barrage of home runs and a workmanlike outing from Opening Day starter Marco Gonzales, the rebuilding Mariners earned the first win of the 2019 season Wednesday (SEA 9, OAK 7). Seattle has now won 11 of its last 13 season openers. On the flip side, the Athletics have dropped 12 of their last 15 Opening Days. Huh. This is the first time since 2012 and the fifth time overall the MLB regular season has opened in Japan. It's the second time these two clubs started their regular seasons against each other in the Tokyo Dome. Here are the previous four Japan Series matchups: All four previous Japan Series were two-game series split at one win apiece. I suppose that bodes well for the A's going into Thursday's game. MLB will also play regular season games in London (Yankees vs. Red Sox) and Mexico (Reds vs. Cardinals and Angels vs. Astros) this season. Here is everything you need to know, see, and hear from the very first game of the 2019 regular season. Ichiro received a huge ovation(s) The great Ichiro Suzuki was indeed in the starting lineup for Wednesday's season opener -- he batted ninth and played right field -- and, as expected, he received a thunderous ovation during pregame introductions. Ichiro was of course cheered loudly before each at-bat as well. The 45-year-old went 0 for 1 with a walk and a pop-up to second base in Wednesday's game. The walk made him the first player to reach base safely at age 45 (or order) since Omar Vizquel in October 2012. Mariners manager Scott Servais ceremoniously removed Ichiro from the game in the the bottom of the fourth inning. He received a big hand as he exited the field and that was the entire point, though the ovation was a bit awkward and slow to develop. Seems to me the crowd would've rather seen Suzuki remain in the game. Your browser does not support iframes. Ichiro is set to play again Thursday. After that, who knows? Suzuki hasn't said anything about his future recently, though it sure would be pretty cool to see him call it a career after two games in his home country. Short of winning that elusive World Series ring, I'm not sure there would be a better way for Ichiro to go out. The ceremonial first pitch was pretty cool Prior to Wednesday's game former Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who played for both the A's and Mariners, stood in the box for the first pitch. Check it out: Of course Rickey took a swing. Of course he did. All he needed to do was dunk a ball into the outfield somewhere and do the jersey pop as he ran down to first base to make that first pitch even better. Griffey was in the camera well Henderson stood in the box during the ceremonial first pitch. Fellow Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. hung out in the camera well all game. A photo of the photographer: Don't mind the Hall of Famer in the camera well. USATSI Too bad Hall of Famer and photograph aficionado Randy Johnson didn't make the trip to Japan. After all those years of doing amazing things on the field together, seeing The Kid and the Big Unit rubbing elbows in the camera well would've been pretty neat. Piscotty hit 2019's first homer It was not quite as memorable as Ian Happ's first pitch homer to open the 2017 season, but we didn't have to wait long for the first homer of 2019. Stephen Piscotty golfed a Gonzales offering to straightaway center field in the bottom of the first inning for the first homer -- and first run -- of the new season. Your browser does not support iframes. Matt Chapman's two-way excellence and Khris Davis' MLB leading 48 home runs made it easy to overlook Piscotty last season. He authored a .267/.331/.491 batting line with 41 doubles and 27 home runs in 151 games after coming over from the Cardinals in an offseason trade. Santana hit 2019's first grand slam Three half-innings after Piscotty hit the season's first home run, Domingo Santana swatted the year's first grand slam. The Mariners loaded the bases on an infield single (Tim Beckham), a single to right (Dee Gordon), and a hit-by-pitch (Jay Bruce). Santana then poked a ball the other way over the right field wall for a four-run homer. Your browser does not support iframes. That is Santana's 55th career home run and his second career grand slam. It is the first grand slam hit by an MLB player in the Tokyo Dome since Benny Agbayani's 11th inning grand slam against the Cubs in 2000. The Mariners bought low on Santana, who hit .265/.328/.412 with five homers last year and spent most of the summer in Triple-A after hitting .278/.371/.505 with 30 home runs in 2017, in a three-player trade with the Brewers over the winter. It was a nifty little high-upside pickup for a rebuilding team, and it paid dividends Wednesday. Khrush hit another Opening Day home run Is it just me, or does the Tokyo Dome always look bigger on television than it plays? I always think the high walls would make it tough to hit home runs, and yet, the ball was flying Wednesday. Five total home runs were hit Wednesday, including one by Khris Davis, the reigning MLB home run king. He smacked a two-run homer for his first of what figures to be another 40-something dingers in 2019. Your browser does not support iframes. That is Davis' fourth Opening Day home run with the A's, setting a new franchise record. Also, he has now gone deep in three consecutive Opening Days. Yogi Berra (1955-58), Gary Carter (1977-80), and Todd Hundley (1994-97) are the only players in history to hit a home run in four consecutive Opening Days. Davis will look to join them next year and, oddly, become the first non-catcher in baseball history to go yard in four straight season openers. Gonzales did something that hadn't happened since 2005 For the first time in 11 years, someone other than Felix Hernandez started Opening Day for the Mariners. Gonzales, who chucked 166 2/3 innings with a 4.00 ERA last season, drew the Opening Day assignment over the declining Hernandez. He's the first non-Felix pitcher to start Seattle's season opener since Erik Bedard in 2008. Despite the Piscotty and Davis home runs, Gonzales completed six solid innings, and retired the final eight batters he faced. He threw only 69 pitches as well. This early in the year though, and with an odd schedule, there's no reason to push the young man deeper into the ballgame. Marco Gonzales SP • Opening Day 2019 vs. Athletics IP 6 H 7 R 4 ER 3 BB 1 K 4 HR 2 With the win, Gonzales became the first Mariners starter other than Hernandez to pick up an Opening Day win since Jamie Moyer way back in 2005. Prior to Gonzales, the last starter other than Hernandez or Moyer to earn an Opening Day win for Seattle was Jeff Fassero in 1997. Mike Fiers, meanwhile, got hit around in his first career Opening Day start. The A's right-hander surrendered five runs in three innings, including the Santana grand slam. He threw 58 pitches in three innings, or 11 fewer than Gonzales threw in six innings. Beckham's bat flip game is midseason form It is only March 20 and the traditional Opening Day is still a week away, but Tim Beckham's bat flip is in midseason form. The Mariners shortstop clocked a dinger Wednesday and gave us this high-quality bat flip: Ah yes, that's the good stuff.<doc-sep>
Although traditional Opening Day is still a week away, the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics started the 2019 regular season in Japan on Wednesday with Seattle winning a 9-7 affair with five homers and an ovation for Ichiro. The AL West rivals will play another game Thursday in Tokyo before heading home. This will be the fifth time a regular season series is played in Japan and the second time the Mariners and Athletics are involved. They opened the 2012 season with a pair of games in Tokyo. MLB also opened the season in Japan in 2000 (Cubs vs. Mets), 2004 (Yankees vs. Devil Rays), and 2008 (Red Sox vs. A's). The 2019 Japan Series is part of MLB's ongoing effort to grow baseball globally. There will also be regular season series played in London (Yankees vs. Red Sox) and Mexico (Reds vs. Cardinals and Astros vs. Angels) this year. Here's how you can watch this season's opening game: Mariners vs. A's Japan Opening Series Dates: Thursday, March 21 Thursday, March 21 Time: 5:35 a.m. ET (6:35 p.m. in Tokyo) 5:35 a.m. ET (6:35 p.m. in Tokyo) Location: Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome TV Channel: ESPN ESPN Streaming: MLB.tv, WatchESPN MLB.tv, WatchESPN Live Stats: GameTracker GameTracker Picks: Check SportsLine's MLB pick sheet for all your daily odds. Mariners storylines For the Mariners, this two-game series in Tokyo is all about the great Ichiro Suzuki. He predictably received long and loud ovations each time he came to the plate or made a defensive play during exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants these last few days. Ichiro started the opener on Wednesday, but it is unclear what his future holds. It is entirely possible these two games will be the final two games of his Hall of Fame career. Two games in his home country would be an incredible way to go out. Athletics storylines The A's won't have the luxury of sneaking up on anyone this season. Last year they won 97 games and gave the Astros quite the headache in the AL West, and now they're going into the season as a postseason favorite. Two-way third baseman Matt Chapman and sluggers Khris Davis and Matt Olson headline an offensive attack that lost Jed Lowrie and Jonathan Lucroy over the winter. They've been replaced by Jurickson Profar and Nick Hundley. Also, all-world closer Blake Treinen looms in the bullpen. He is a video game. Pitchers are not supposed to be able to throw 99 mph sinkers and 93 mph sliders, yet he does it. The A's should again be one of the most dangerous teams in baseball in 2019.