Opening Day is considered by many to be a National Holiday. The first day of America’s pastime is seen as a shining beacon of hope for everyone’s favorite teams. With the 2014 edition of the event, lets look at some of the days best match ups.

Best Pitching Match:
Felix Hernandez vs. Jered Weaver: Not only are these two of the premier pitchers in baseball, but they are setting club records for number of Opening Day starts. Felix will be making his seventh overall, passing M’s great Randy Johnson, and Weaver will set the Angels record with his sixth. Look for both these guys to be in the running for the AL Cy Young award come October.

Best Arm vs. Bat Match:
James Shields vs. Miguel Cabrera: Fresh off his new monster deal, Cabrera gets his first swings of 2014 against the Royals’ Shields. Cabrera is 12-for-26 career against Shields with one home run and will be seeing much more of him in the AL Central. The Tigers will also be looking to see what they have post-Prince Fielder and inserting Ian Kinsler into the lineup. Justin Verlander is also on the mound for the Tigers.

Best Opening Series:
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds: The Cardinals are the defending NL Champions and the Reds are looking to rebound after a disappointing 2013. Division rivals on the opening week of baseball is always a treat, but few much ups pit two potential playoff teams against each other. St. Louis will take two out of three, but the Reds will make it a great opening series.

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