It is the moment seamheads have been pining for as the 2011 Major League Baseball season officially gets underway this afternoon with an American League scrap between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. First pitch in today's game is slated for 1:05pm ET at Yankee Stadium; coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN. MLB Odds and Predictions have New York listed as a -150 moneyline favorite and the Over/Under set at eight.
New York enters today's game off a 13-15 exhibition slate, but no one in Gotham is worried about the sub. 500 Spring 
Training run. The Yankees appear to be primed for another strong title push in the American League East, despite concerns over the depth of their starting rotation.
There are no questions, however, in regard to today's starter as C.C. Sabathia, New York's most consistent hurler, takes the mound for skipper Joe Girardi. Sabathia went 21-7 last season with a 3.18 ERA, and he was an even more impressive 11-2 at Yankee Stadium where he tallied a 3.00 ERA.
Sabathia has not had the greatest success against the Tigers, though, which makes this afternoon's contest anything but a given. The California native has pitched 32 innings against Detroit over the past three seasons, giving up 33 hits and 21 earned runs in route to a 2-3 record.
The Tigers, which posted a 20-14 Spring Training record to take third place in the Grapefruit League, will counter the left handed Sabathia with six year veteran Justin Verlander.
Verlander, who has started slow the past couple of seasons only to finish strong, hopes to carry the momentum from his outstanding spring (3-0 with a 0.96 ERA) into today's meeting with the Yankees.
Verlander has pitched well against New York, but, despite his solid performance against the Bronx Bombers (3.29 ERA the last three seasons), he still owns an 0-2 record in the Yankees new ball park.
New York has won the last three in this series, but the Tigers did earn a 4-4 split in the eight games the two teams played last season.
Tigers vs Yankees Odds 2011 MLB Predictions:
Detroit Tigers +1.5 (-165), Over 8 (+100), +130 (Moneyline)
New York Yankees -1.5 (+145), Under 8 (-120), -150 (Moneyline)
