Finally. Opening Day. Better yet, two Opening Days.

Sunday gave us some season-starting fun. The Cardinals outlasted the Cubs in a thriller. The Rays ushered in the new campaign by beating the Yankees. The Diamondbacks spoiled Mark Melancon's Giants debut. And now, we get to do it all over again with 12 more games.

Whether you root for a team with big hopes for this season or one that is years away from contention, there's just something about that first game of the new year.

To celebrate the start of the new season, here's one thing to watch for in each contest -- along with a can't-miss prediction for every Opening Day game on Monday's schedule:

Atlanta Braves (Teheran) at New York Mets (Syndergaard), 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Did You Know? The Mets' .636 winning percentage on Opening Day is the best of any current franchise, followed by the Mariners (.600), Orioles (.591), Yankees (.558) and Giants (.556). -- ESPN Stats & Information

Noah Syndergaard shot out of the gates looking like a cross between Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez and a certain superhero, posting a 1.87 ERA through his first 10 starts last season. He wasn't quite as dominant the rest of the way, with a 3.00 ERA over his final 20 starts. There are obvious reasons to expect a better season, however, starting with a .334 BABIP allowed, the fourth highest of any qualified starter. He had the highest average fastball velocity of any starter, but the key to him becoming a Cy Young winner is making that fastball a little less hittable -- batters hit .283 against it. One thing we do know: He's ready for Opening Day.

Prediction: Mets 5, Braves 0. Syndergaard dominates with seven shutout innings, while Yoenis Cespedes hits a two-run homer in the first.

Miami Marlins (Volquez) at Washington Nationals (Strasburg), 1:05 p.m. ET

Stephen Strasburg gets the start over Max Scherzer due to Scherzer's stress fracture in the lower knuckle of his right ring finger (he should be ready to start the season's third game), but the player to watch is Bryce Harper, who looked locked in and healthy in spring training with eight home runs as he seeks a return to his 2015 level of dominance. He's enjoyed Opening Day before: He homered the past two openers and hit two in 2013.

Prediction: Nationals 7, Marlins 2. Harper does, indeed, go yard ... twice.

Pittsburgh Pirates (Cole) at Boston Red Sox (Porcello), 2:05 p.m. ET

Last to hit 2 HR in opener Year Player Team 2016 Trevor Story Rockies 2015 Hanley Ramírez Red Sox 2015 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox 2014 Alejandro De Aza White Sox 2013 Bryce Harper Nationals

This is just the second time the Pirates have played in Fenway Park, the first coming back in 2005. They'll arrive with a new-look outfield as Andrew McCutchen moves to right field, Starling Marte moves to center and Gregory Polanco moves from right to left. Better defense will help them get back into the playoff chase, but there's no denying they need a bigger season from Gerrit Cole, as he went from a 2.60 ERA to a 3.88 mark in just 20 starts. Cole has said he plans to mix in his changeup more, a pitch he threw just 5 percent of the time last year.

Prediction: Pirates 6, Red Sox 3. Red Sox Nation panics as Porcello gets knocked out in the fourth.

Colorado Rockies (Gray) at Milwaukee Brewers (Guerra), 2:10 p.m. ET

It's been a rough spring for the Rockies, with injuries to Ian Desmond, David Dahl and Tom Murphy, and Chad Bettis landing on the 60-day DL as he undergoes chemotherapy for testicular cancer. They've had good starts in recent seasons, so staying close in April will be important. It won't help that they have 16 games in the month against the Dodgers, Giants and Nationals.

Prediction: Brewers 8, Rockies 7 (10). Ryan Braun with the walk-off homer in extra innings.

Toronto Blue Jays (Estrada) at Baltimore Orioles (Gausman), 3:05 p.m. ET

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A rematch of last year's Game When Zach Britton Didn't Pitch, the Orioles are looking for Kevin Gausman to develop into an ace-level starter as he makes his first Opening Day start. He pitched a lot like one in the second half last year, going 8-6 with a 3.10 ERA after the All-Star break. One key was throwing his splitter a little more often, a pitch batters hit just .182 against with a 43 percent strikeout rate. With Chris Tillman starting the season on the DL and a shaky rotation otherwise, the Orioles need good halves from Gausman.

Prediction: Orioles 3, Blue Jays 2. Zach Britton with the save.

San Diego Padres (Chacin) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Kershaw), 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)

What to look for in this game? Probably a Dodgers win. They've beaten the Padres the last nine times Clayton Kershaw started, including both times in 2016, when Kershaw didn't allow a run in 16 innings.

Prediction: Dodgers 8, Padres 1. Corey Seager begins his push for MVP with a double, homer and four RBIs.

Detroit Tigers (Verlander) at Chicago White Sox (Quintana), 4:10 p.m. ET

Opening Day home run kings Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Bryce Harper, Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Kinsler are the active leaders in Opening Day HR with 4 each.

They have a long way to go for the all-time mark though: Adam Dunn, Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr. each hit 8 Opening Day HR, the most in the last 100 years.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Miguel Cabrera vs. any pitcher is always good theater, but he's had good success against Jose Quintana, hitting .349/.440/.605 in 50 career plate appearances. In fact, Cabrera has also hit an impressive .304/.429/.587 against the now-departed Chris Sale. He has hit .447 with five home runs in 47 at-bats against Corey Kluber. This just in: Miguel Cabrera is good.

Prediction: White Sox 5, Tigers 2. The White Sox go over .500 for the only time all season.

Kansas City Royals (Duffy) at Minnesota Twins (Santana), 4:10 p.m. ET

Fascinating factoid: The Royals went a combined 41-16 against the Twins, Tigers and White Sox in 2016, which means they went 40-65 against everyone else. The Royals rewarded Danny Duffy with a five-year, $65 million extension in the offseason -- the one potential free agent they've signed -- with Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar all heading into free agency at season's end. If this last hurrah with this group is to end on a happy note, they'll have to beat up on the Twins once again -- and some of the good teams.

Prediction: Royals 6, Twins 4. Robbie Grossman drops two fly balls, and the Royals score four in the eighth.

Philadelphia Phillies (Hellickson) at Cincinnati Reds (Feldman), 4:10 p.m. ET

Fool your friends and win a bet: True or false, Scott Feldman has made more than $50 million in his big league career. Answer: True!

Prediction: Phillies 7, Reds 3. The Phillies hit three home runs as the Reds set an early pace to break their MLB record from last season for most home runs allowed.

Cleveland Indians (Kluber) at Texas Rangers (Darvish), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Yeah, this matchup will work. An interesting thing to watch with Yu Darvish is his pitch repertoire. Pitching coach Doug Brocail has been trying to get Darvish to simplify his arsenal, reportedly sticking with his fastball, sinker, slider and "an off-speed pitch to be named or tried later," according to MLB.com.

Most notably, he ditched his splitter early in spring training, with the apparent worry it caused too much stress on his elbow. Also absent from that list of pitches is his cutter, which I've mentioned in the past is a pitch Darvish should dump as batters have hit over .300 and slugged over .500 against it since 2013.

Prediction: Indians 3, Rangers 1. Andrew Miller snuffs out a rally in the seventh inning. Cody Allen gets the save. Everyone says Terry Francona is a genius.

Seattle Mariners (Hernandez) at Houston Astros (Keuchel), 8:10 p.m. ET

Most Opening Day Strikeouts - Since 1900 Randy Johnson 107 Tom Seaver 81 Walter Johnson 79 Jack Morris 75 Roger Clemens 72 Félix Hernández 68<< >> Active leader >Source: Elias Sports Bureau

Two pitchers with a lot to prove after struggling with both injuries and results in 2016. Felix Hernandez looked pretty good in spring training, with all the reports from Mariners camp pointing to a motivated Hernandez acknowledging he'll have to change his approach. We'll see what that actually means, because pitching to more contact is a nice theory, but strikeout rate correlates much better with success. If hitters have learned to lay off that two-strike changeup that dives below the knees, that means fastball command to the corners becomes more crucial. The possibility that fewer low strikes will be called won't help Hernandez either -- or Dallas Keuchel, for that matter.

Predictions: Astros 4, Mariners 3. George Springer homers twice off King Felix.

Los Angeles Angels (Nolasco) at Oakland Athletics (Graveman), 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Oh, hello, Mike Trout.

Prediction: A's 6, Angels 2. Trout draws four walks, but Khris Davis homers and drives in three runs.