Opening Day: A Holiday to be Remembered
When baseball fans think of Opening Day, it’s more than just the first day of the baseball season. It’s a symbol of spring; days are getting longer, hope fills the warming air as the last lingerings of winter melt into the infield grass. For some fans, it’s the beginning of an exciting journey with the hopes of bringing home a pennant. For others, it’s a relished day knowing a long and grueling season of disappointment lies ahead. But we all suspend our disbelief for a few hours as we watch our favorite teams compete for the first time in half a year. With the anticipation eating away at fans and players alike, here’s a list of teams, players, and moments that have stolen the show on this verifiable holiday, just to curb everyone’s baseball appetite until the main course arrives.
Best Opening Day Record
The Opening Day pennant belongs to your favorite Big Apple franchise (no, the other one) New York Mets. With a winning percentage of .661 (39-20) since their inaugural season in 1962, the Mets are the Kings of New York Opening Day baseball. They were not always considered titans of season openers however, losing their first eight Opening Day games, including the Miracle Mets season of 1969. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco this offseason, they’ll look to live up to they hype as one of they best MLB picks this year and make that an even 40 this April.
Most Opening Day Wins
Cubs fans may have suffered through 108 seasons without a World Series, but at least they witnessed a record 79 Opening Day wins since the organization’s inception as the Chicago White Stockings in 1876. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, another 161 games and a month of playoffs follow the opener. They don’t exactly have the best track record here. They can sleep well though, knowing if another century passes before their next World Series win, they’ll dominate that first game every year.
Opening Day Cy Young
This one involves a little bit of subjectivity, and there are a LOT of big names in the conversation. If it’s based on quantity, Tom Seaver stands alone with a record 16 Opening Day starts in his career, in which he amassed 7 wins and an impressive 3.13 ERA. A flashier pick would bring us to the Opening Day strikeout king, Randy Johnson, who notched a staggering 107 Ks in 14 career Opening Day starts.
These two Hall of Famers aside, the Opening Day Cy Young belongs to one man only: Walter Johnson. The Big Train is unmatched in his prowess in season openers. In 14 starts, he pitched to an ERA of 1.31, 7 of which were shutout wins. His most impressive start came on April 13, 1926 against the Philadelphia Athletics, when he hurled a 15 inning complete game shutout, which is baffling to even type on this page.
Opening Day Silver Slugger
Akin to the subjectivity of the Opening Day Cy Young, this award could go to several different players. One could argue there is nothing better (other than a win) on Opening Day than seeing your favorite slugger go deep. Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Junior did this a record 8 times in their careers.
Both of these stars pale in comparison to Ted Williams, the greatest Opening Day slugger of all time. In 14 games, he slashed .449/.550/.816 with only 3 Ks. Teddy Ballgame was a guarantee to light up the scoreboard at the start of every season, good enough to earn himself this illustrious award.
Opening Day Moment
This one is a complete toss up. On one hand there’s Bob Feller’s no hitter on Opening Day in 1940, arguably one of the best moments in baseball. On the other, Hank Aaron happened to hit his 714th home run, tying Babe Ruth’s record, on opening day in 1974. As far as moments go, Hammerin’ Hank takes the podium on this one. Babe Ruth is an American icon, and Aaron replaced him in this moment as the home run king, cementing his name next to Ruth’s in baseball history.
Snow Opener
Opening Day does not always signify the start of Spring. In 1977, the Blue Jays opened their inaugural season to a crowd of parka-wearing fans while snow covered the infield turf. The Canadian fans packed the stands 44,649 strong while a Zamboni dragged the field in preparation for the game’s start.
The Jays defeated the White Sox 9-5 on baseball’s frozen tundra, one of the only memorable moments in a disappointing first season. They went on to finish 54-107, good for last place in the AL East.
-Tyler Hickman
