Baseball's Opening Day 2007
The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Stories about Baseball's Opening Day
Baseball places more importance and ceremony on Opening Day than any other sport. Here are some of the best and worst of baseball's annual inaugural game.
Great Opening Day Pitching Feats
On April 16, 1940, Bob Feller threw the first and only Opening Day no-hitter, shutting down the White Sox, 1-0. It was all the more remarkable considering the temperature was a chilly 35 degrees and raining sleet at game time.
On April 14, 1915, Philadelphia A's hurler Herb Pennock made his own bid for an Opening Day no-hitter. Pennock no-hit the Boston Red Sox for 8 2/3 innings. In the ninth, with Pennock one just out away, outfielder Harry Hooper beat out a high chopper that shot past Pennock, ruining what could have been the first Opening Day no-hit game.
On April 15, 1909, Red Ames held Brooklyn hitless for 9 1/3 innings on Opening Day. Unfortunately, his teammates failed to score any runs and he lost 3-0 after 13 innings, having surrendered four hits in the extra frames.
The longest current string of consecutive Opening Day starts is eight, held by Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez. Johnson has started 13 openers in his career, six for the Mariners, six with Arizona, and one with the Yankees.
Home Run Feats on Opening Day
Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson belted eight career home runs on the first day of the season, while Willie Mays and Eddie Mathews each blasted seven Opening Day home runs.
Only two batters have hit three home runs on Opening Day. George Bell did it on April 4, 1988, when he hit all three of his home runs off Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen. The second player was Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes, who smacked three homers off Dwight Gooden of the Mets. Tuffy's shots made little difference. The Cubs still lost the game.
Team Records on Opening Day
Special mention goes to the New York Mets, who own the best winning percentage in Opening Day contests (27-17), despite losing the first eight openers in franchise history.
The record for most consecutive losses suffered in Opening Day games belongs to the Atlanta Braves, who lost nine straight openers from 1972-1980.
Managers and players never admit that a win on Opening Day is anything special, but it can make a difference. For example, on four separate occasions (1948-49, 1972, 1978) the Red Sox dropped their season opener and then finished the season one game out of first place.
Crazy Opening Day Stories
Several Opening Days have been marked by bizarre events, strange promotions, bad weather or a combination of all three. On April 11, 1907, the New York Giants opened the season in the Polo Grounds against the Phillies. The day before, a heavy snow had fallen and groundskeepers shoveled the snow into large piles in the outer reaches of the outfield and in foul territory. Late in the game, the home crowd grew frustrated with the play of their team and began throwing snowballs onto the playing field and at each other, disrupting play and leading to several arrests.
On April 11, 1912, Washington Park in Brooklyn was the scene of another Opening Day riot. With the home team down 18-3 to the Giants, fans began climbing the fences and running onto the field. Eventually, so many spectators infiltrated the diamond that the game was called on account of darkness in the sixth inning.
For their 1946 opener, the Boston Braves gave their outfield stands a fresh coat of red paint. But cold, damp weather prevented the paint from drying, and after the game, several hundred fans marched to the Braves' offices to complain about the paint on their clothes. The team eventually agreed to pay all cleaning bills and placed a newspaper advertisement apologizing to fans.
Let's see what Opening Day 2007 brings to the table.
