MLB Opening Day 2015 schedule: Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez highlight aces in action

The best day of the year has finally arrived.

We made it.

After a long, grueling winter and a hopeful but ultimately meaningless month of practice games, it's finally time for real baseball. Opening Day features 28 of the 30 clubs, and some of the best pitchers in the game, in action.

Clayton Kershaw, the reigning National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, kicks off his 2015 campaign against the new-look San Diego Padres and their prized free agent acquisition, James Shields. Among the Padres hitters Kershaw will face is former teammate Matt Kemp, who was dealt to San Diego in the offseason after hitting .292/.349/.495 in nine years for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Right around the time Kershaw throws his pitch, Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will take the mound 1,100-or-so miles up I-5. Hernandez faces the defending American League West champion Los Angeles Angels, who will counter with veteran Jered Weaver.

World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka and new Washington Nationals No. 1 Max Scherzer are among the other pitchers expected to start on Monday.

Here's the full schedule (all times Eastern):

Toronto Blue Jays (Drew Hutchison) at New York Yankees (Masahiro Tanaka) -- 1:05 p.m., ESPN

Minnesota Twins (Phil Hughes) at Detroit Tigers (David Price) -- 1:08 p.m., MLB.tv

Colorado Rockies (Kyle Kendrick) at Milwaukee Brewers (Kyle Lohse) -- 2:10 p.m., MLB.tv

Boston Red Sox (Clay Buchholz) at Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels) -- 3:05 p.m., MLB.tv

Baltimore Orioles (Chris Tillman) at Tampa Bay Rays (Chris Archer) -- 3:10 p.m., MLB.tv

New York Mets (Bartolo Colon) at Washington Nationals (Max Scherzer) -- 4:05 p.m., ESPN

Atlanta Braves (Julio Teheran) at Miami Marlins (Henderson Alvarez) -- 4:10 p.m., MLB.tv

Chicago White Sox (Jeff Samardzija) at Kansas City Royals (Yordano Ventura) -- 4:10 p.m., MLB.tv

Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver) at Seattle Mariners (Felix Hernandez) -- 4:10 p.m., MLB.tv

Pittsburgh Pirates (Francisco Liriano) at Cincinnati Reds (Johnny Cueto) -- 4:10 p.m., MLB.tv

San Diego Padres (James Shields) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) -- 4:10 p.m., MLB.tv

Cleveland Indians (Corey Kluber) at Houston Astros (Dallas Keuchel) -- 7:10 p.m., ESPN

Texas Rangers (Yovani Gallardo) at Oakland Athletics (Sonny Gray) -- 10:05 p.m., MLB.tv

San Francisco Giants (Madison Bumgarner) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Josh Collmenter) -- 10:10 p.m., ESPN2

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