One aspect of betting on baseball that can appeal to those who don’t want to sit through an entire nine-inning game is the ability to bet on the first team to score.
First Team to Score odds will be available on BetUS when the season gets underway in March. We’re going to take a look at things to consider in MLB First to Score Bets.
Make sure to check out our MLB hub as the 2025 MLB season will be here before you know it.
Tools Needed to Make First to Score Bets
It Is Good to Be the Visitor
A winner of the coin flip before college football and NFL games gets to decide if their team will be on offense or defense to start the game. That is not the case in baseball as the road team gets to bat first.
Obviously, that gives the road team the advantage when projecting which team will score first.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies were the only MLB teams to score at least 100 runs in the first inning of games. That is something to consider when looking at MLB odds this season.
Which Teams Had the Most Runs on the Road in 2024?
As we mentioned above, the visiting team gets to bat first so why not look at which teams fared the best when playing on the road during the 2024 MLB season?
The Atlanta Braves led the way with 126 home runs on the road followed by the Baltimore Orioles (126 HRs), the New York Yankees (119) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (118). A quick peek at the MLB lines shows that a higher percentage of Arizona’s games landed over the total than any other team during the 2024 season.
The Chicago Cubs were 12th in home runs hit on the road but fourth with 417 runs scored. The Washington Nationals hit 57 home runs on the road, the fewest in the majors while the Chicago White Sox were the only MLB team not to score at least 600 runs on the road.
A Hot Batter Can Make a Difference
It makes sense to take a chance on a red-hot batter coming through early and helping his team score first.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees didn’t do all of his damage at Yankee Stadium. He led all MLB players with 27 home runs, 73 RBIs and an OPS (combined on-base percentage and slugging percentage) of 1.106 on the road.
Houston’s Yordan Alvarez was second with an OPS of 1.092. There will continue to be plenty of action in MLB props when Alvarez and the Astros play.
Since this is an article about which team will score first, it is worth noting that Juan Soto, who moved from the New York Yankees to the New York Mets in the offseason led the majors with 68 runs scored on the road followed by Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers with 66 and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson at 61.
Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks led all MLB players with 35 runs in the first inning of games with Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero and Bobby Witt of the Kansas City Royals leading the way with 49 hits.
In all games, Witt was the MLB leader with 211 hits followed by Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres at 200. Ohtani scored the most runs while Judge had the most RBIs.
Don’t forget to check the MLB injury report as key hitters or pitchers being unable to play can have an impact on the First to Score MLB bets.
What About Pitchers?
When it comes to pitching, Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros led all qualified pitchers with a 2.36 ERA on the road followed by Atlanta’s Chris Sale and Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Corbin Burnes, who went from the Baltimore Orioles to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the offseason, led the way in the WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) department at 0.90 followed by Minnesota’s Bailey Ober and Logan Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners. In other words, it might not be the smartest bet to take the opposition to score first when facing those pitchers.
Gilbert had the best WHIP of 0.70 in the first inning of games. Austin Gomber of the Colorado Rockies wasn’t as fortunate with a WHIP of 2.13 and earned run average of 10.80. Keep that in mind when making your MLB picks.
When Does the 2025 MLB Season Begin?
The reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, played in the first spring training game on Feb. 20 against the Chicago Cubs in Phoenix.
The same two teams will get the regular season going in the Tokyo Series on March 18 and 19. Get your MLB picks ready.
When looking at MLB futures, the Dodgers are favored at +275 in the odds to win the World Series followed by the New York Yankees (+850) and the Atlanta Braves (+900).
MLB First to Score Betting FAQs
How fast do MLB players get to first?
Left-handed batters typically reach first base slightly faster (4.31 seconds) than right-handed batters (4.35 seconds).
How many perfect games are in MLB history?
According to Major League Baseball records, there have been 24 perfect games in MLB history.
