Marcus Stroman was called for a pitch clock violation during the third inning of the Chicago Cubs' season-opening win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

He's the first player to be penalized under the new rule during a regular-season game.

"It's tough, man," Stroman said. "It's tough, this pitch clock. It's a big adjustment. I don't think people really realize it. It just adds a whole other layer of thinking."

The violation was called when he took too long to deliver a 1-2 pitch to the Brewers' Christian Yelich. Stroman was checking on the Brice Turang, who was on second base.

Under the new rules, pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds if a runner is on base. The penalty for a pitcher running out of time is an automatic ball.

By day's end, there were 14 pitch-clock violations on Thursday: eight by pitchers, four by batters, one by a baserunner and one by a catcher.

The New York Mets have placed Justin Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade muscle strain near his pitching shoulder.

The injury is to Verlander's teres major and he will continue to throw at "moderate intensity" with a reevaluation scheduled for next week.

The injury popped up following a bullpen session Wednesday after Verlander's velocity fell in his final spring training start. 

"This isn't best-case scenario," Verlander said. "But I would think this is probably second-best case. Very minimal."

Shohei Ohtani called his own pitches through a PitchCom device hidden underneath his jersey near his left shoulder on Opening Day.

He threw six shutout innings for the Los Angeles Angels in a 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Ohtani struck out 10 batters and allowed just two hits.

Ohtani made the decision to call his own pitches in part because of the restrictions of the pitch clock.

As expected there were more stolen bases on Opening Day this year than last.

Major League Baseball increased the size of its bases to promote safety and to add excitement by increasing the frequency of stolen bases.

According to Alex Fast, there were 21 stolen bases on Thursday with a 91% success rate. In 2022, Opening Day saw just five steals and a 56% success rate.

It appears likely that the Washington Nationals will remain in possession of the Lerner family through the end of the 2023 season.

Last April, news broke that the Lerners were considering a sale of the franchise.

The Sports Business Journal reports that the "sales process has been officially paused."

The primary reason the sale is taking so long is the ongoing dispute with the Baltimore Orioles regarding how to split the rights fees of MASN, which the two clubs share.

It has been a point of contention between the two franchises for years and might be settled this coming summer. 

The Atlanta Braves have agreed to terms on a contract extension with Orlando Arcia, according to a report.

Arcia's new deal is for three years and $7.3 million. It also includes a club option for the 2026 season.

The infielder was set to make $1.3 million in 2023 with a club option for 2024.

Top Los Angeles Angels prospect Logan O'Hoppe will start at catcher for the club on Opening Day.

Max Stassi, who was the probable starting catcher for the Angels, was placed on the injured list Wednesday with hip soreness.

O'Hoppe, 23, will catch Shohei Ohtani in Thursday's opener against the Oakland A's.

O'Hoppe was acquired in last year's trade that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Diamond Sports Group paid the San Diego Padres their rights fee on Wednesday, which means the company will continue to broadcast the team's games in the near future, according to sources.

Diamond, which operates under the name Bally Sports, is the operator of 42 regional sports networks across MLB, the NBA and the NHL. They filed for bankruptcy on March 14.

The company will still be broadcasting all 14 of the Major League teams under its umbrella when the regular season begins on Thursday. But some teams are expected to be shed eventually, at which point MLB will likely take over streaming and broadcasting duties at least through the end of the season. 

Ian Happ appears poised to enter the 2023 season on the final year of his contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Happ said Wednesday he had "nothing really to report" and "no real comment on it." He said he is not breaking off talks on an extension, but added: "That also doesn't mean anything."

The outfielder will be a free agent after the season.

Happ hit .271/.342/.440 in 573 at-bats in 2022.

Minor League players and Major League Baseball have struck a tentative deal on the first collective bargaining agreement between the sides, according to sources.

The pact will more than double player pay.

The agreement, which will last for five years, comes after a rapid and successful effort last year by minor leaguers to unionize under the umbrella of the MLB Players Association and follows previous improvements in housing and pay.

The pay increases at each level are significant, according to sources, and will pay players for most of the offseason as well as spring training, including back pay for this season.