Opening Day might still be over a week away but for the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics the 2019 MLB regular season begins on Wednesday morning.
The American League West rivals face off in two games in Japan before heading back home in time for Opening Day which is scheduled for March 28.
Here's all you need to know about the opening fixtures of the MLB season.
When and where is the game?
The Mariners and the Athletics face off at the Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital at 6:35 p.m. local time (5:35 a.m. ET) on Wednesday, March 20.
They're also scheduled to go head-to-head on Thursday, at the same time and at the same venue.
This is the second time the Athletics and the Mariners open the regular season in Tokyo, having done so with two games in 2012. Overall, the MLB has staged the first game of the regular season in the Japanese capital another four times, with the Chicago Cubs taking on the New York Mets in 2000, followed by the New York Yankees facing the Tampa Bay Rays in 2004.
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox played the Athletics four years later.
TV info
The game will be broadcast live by ESPN and will also be available to online on WatchESPN and on MLB.tv. Live stream will be available via DirecTV Now, PlayStation VUE, Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu TV.
The same applies for the game on Thursday.
Odds
According to OddsShark, the Athletics are a -138 favorite to win the game, while the over/under bar is set at 8.5. Over 8.5 runs currently stands at -120, while the under is at +103.
Players to keep an eye on
Mariners' star Ichiro Suzuki is the main attraction for the two-game series in Tokyo. The 45-year-old will start both games on his second trip back to his homeland as an MLB player, but his future remains uncertain.
Suzuki is entering his 19th season in the major league and retirement is never too far from his mind, but the seven-time All-Star is determined to enjoy his brief return to Japan.
"This is a great gift for me," he said during a press conference on Saturday, as per the Associated Press. "I will treasure every moment here on the field. One week after this event, I will be reflecting back on these days, so I will make sure I remember every moment here in Japan."
Form
The Athletics went 97-65 last season, winning at least 90 games for the first time since 2013 and reaching the postseason for the first time since 2014, before losing the American League Wild Card game to the Yankees.
The Mariners finished with their best record since 2003 after going 89-73 but that wasn't enough to break a playoff drought that stretches back all the way to 2001.
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