It'll be the reigning champion against the dethroned when the D-backs begin their defense of the National League West title against the Giants on Friday.

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New ballpark. New name. Significant new talent. New manager with a high profile. It is a fresh start for all things Marlin.

Rookie manager Mike Matheny's grin on Wednesday after the Cardinals beat the Marlins for his first career victory suggested that this was anything but the typical game.

Accompanied by family members and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria in a large golf cart, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali delivered the game ball to the mound as part of the opening ceremonies in Miami on Wednesday.

There was a moment in the bottom of the ninth inning when the crowd got loud and the place began to rock, and in that instant, the Marlins sensed what their new ballpark could become.

Behind the masterful pitching of Kyle Lohse, the Cardinals ruined one of the most anticipated moments in Marlins history Wednesday night with a convincing and unexpected 4-1 victory.

Kyle Lohse took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and David Freese had three hits and two RBIs as the Cardinals started the new season on Wednesday the way they ended the previous one: with a win.

Opening Day might not come with the star power of the All-Star Game or the significance of the World Series, but the excitement the beginning of a new season brings is unrivaled throughout the game, and it has produced moments that transcend baseball.

Bruce Chen's journey to the Royals has resulted in 24 wins over the past two years and an Opening Day start on Friday vs. the Angels.

As much as Wednesday night represented a new beginning for the Miami Marlins, the game itself belonged to St. Louis right-hander Kyle Lohse, who flirted with making history of his own.

The reigning AL East champion Yankees visit the 2011 Wild Card-winning Rays in Friday's season opener in the first of 18 head-to-head meetings between the rivals.

Angels right fielder Torii Hunter was confronted by Newport Beach, Calif., police officers with their guns drawn inside his home on Wednesday after he'd accidentally tripped an alarm.

It's a small sample size, but South Florida's newest Major League stadium appears on its way to gaining a reputation as a pitcher's park.

Marlins Park on Wednesday hosted St. Louis and Miami in the first regular-season game to take place in the U.S., and the contest produced a number of memorable firsts for the new stadium.

The stakes will be a good bit lower, but the intensity level likely won't be when the Cardinals and Brewers meet on Friday in Milwaukee's season opener at Miller Park.