diff --git a/src/services/adapters/mlbStatsAdapter.js b/src/services/adapters/mlbStatsAdapter.js
index 6e0007e..136cd4c 100644
--- a/src/services/adapters/mlbStatsAdapter.js
+++ b/src/services/adapters/mlbStatsAdapter.js
@@ -356,6 +356,27 @@ async function getPlayerStats(name, season = DEFAULT_SEASON, opts = {}) {
  * All MLB teams (Session 51) → [{ id, abbr, name }]. Cached 24h. Used to map a
  * UI abbreviation ("NYY") to the statsapi team id.
  */
+/**
+ * Session 64 — LEAGUE-WIDE TEAM PITCHING SPLITS. All 30 teams in ONE free,
+ * unauthenticated call. This is the source for MLB `opp_rank_stat`: ESPN's MLB
+ * team endpoint carries no defensive metric at all, so engine1's +/-1.0
+ * opponent factor had never fired for MLB.
+ * Returns [{ teamId, name, stat }]. [] on failure — the caller degrades to a
+ * null rank rather than a guessed one.
+ */
+async function getTeamPitchingStats(season = DEFAULT_SEASON) {
+  const url = `${BASE}/teams/stats?season=${season}&group=pitching&stats=season&sportIds=1`;
+  const data = await fetchWithCache(url, `mlbstats:teampitching:${season}`, TTL.season);
+  const splits = extractSplits(data);
+  return splits
+    .map((sp) => ({
+      teamId: sp.team && sp.team.id ? sp.team.id : null,
+      name: sp.team && sp.team.name ? sp.team.name : null,
+      stat: sp.stat || {},
+    }))
+    .filter((t) => t.teamId != null);
+}
+
 async function getTeams(season = DEFAULT_SEASON) {
   const url = `${BASE}/teams?sportId=1&season=${season}`;
   const data = await fetchWithCache(url, `mlbstats:teams:${season}`, 24 * 3600);
@@ -398,6 +419,7 @@ module.exports = {
   matchPlayers,
   getPlayerStats,
   getTeams,
+  getTeamPitchingStats,
   resolveTeam,
   getTeamRoster,
   __internals: {
diff --git a/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js b/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
index 8a2f1c3..a2aa18f 100644
--- a/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
+++ b/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
@@ -336,6 +336,35 @@ async function teamFeatures(sport, opponentAbbr, statType) {
   }
   const rank = await getOpponentRank(sport, opponentAbbr, statType);
   if (rank != null) out.opp_rank_stat = rank;
+
+  // Session 64 — MLB opp_rank_stat. ESPN's MLB team endpoint carries NO
+  // defensive metric, so this field was permanently null for MLB and engine1's
+  // ±1.0 opponent factor never fired for the sport carrying most of our volume.
+  // Derived instead from statsapi team pitching splits (one free call, all 30
+  // teams), normalized to the SHARED CONTRACT: 0–1, HIGH = weak opponent —
+  // identical to WNBA, so engine1 reads one field with one meaning.
+  // Isolated + best-effort: a failure leaves the field ABSENT (honest null),
+  // never a guessed rank.
+  if (out.opp_rank_stat == null && String(sport).toLowerCase() === 'mlb') {
+    try {
+      const mlb = require('../adapters/mlbStatsAdapter');
+      const strength = require('../opponentStrength');
+      const [teams, oppTeam] = await Promise.all([
+        mlb.getTeamPitchingStats(),
+        mlb.resolveTeam(opponentAbbr),
+      ]);
+      if (oppTeam && oppTeam.id) {
+        const d = strength.deriveMlbOppRank(teams, oppTeam.id, statType);
+        if (d.value != null) {
+          out.opp_rank_stat = d.value;
+        } else if (process.env.OPP_RANK_DEBUG === '1') {
+          console.log(`[featureCache] mlb opp_rank null for ${opponentAbbr}/${statType}: ${d.reason}`);
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.warn('[featureCache] mlb opponent-strength derivation failed:', e.message);
+    }
+  }
   return out;
 }