The winter roster rebuilding was highlighted by free agent left-hander Max Fried signing for $218 million over eight years the day after Soto picked the Mets. The Yankees then quickly addressed the lineup by trading for Bellinger and signing first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, another former MVP, for one year at $12.5 million.

In the end, it came down to Juan Soto. Baseball is not explicitly designed to create this kind of drama: the magnet of the sport’s attention over the past six months, stepping to the plate for his new team in the biggest spot possible on Opening Day.

Here's what you missed before the nine innings on the diamond in the first game of the Daikin Park era:

With Daikin taking over naming rights for Houston's ballpark, the iconic train in left field will look a little different.