Gamethread I – Royals at Braves
Now we go.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 19: Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals poses for a portrait during photo day at Surprise Stadium on February 19, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images The long winter has finally ended. Baseball is back .
And while we got to laugh at the misfortunes of nearly half the teams in the league yesterday – seriously, Oneil Cruz seems very badly miscast as a centerfielder – it’s finally our turn to fret about our own team’s foibles. Let’s play ball! Today’s starter for Kansas City is Cole Ragans, getting his third straight Opening Day start.
He’ll be looking for his first win in such games, though. He took the loss against Minnesota in 2024 and could only watch from the bench as Sam Long got rocked for three runs in the tenth inning against the Guardians last year. Even after a ninth-inning rally forced the extra frame to begin with.
We all know that Ragans was hurt and had a much worse ERA last year. But pretty much every backing stat we have says he actually pitched significantly better than fourth-in-Cy-Young-voting campaign in 2024 – at least, when he was able to be on the mound. Keen-eyed Royals fans should watch not just to hope he stays healthy, but to see if he can pitch similarly to how he did last season while he’s at it.