Opening Day is warmly regarded in North American tradition as the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. Minute Maid Park (formerly The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field) is a ballpark in Houston, Texas It falls annually around the beginning of April, signaling such a generational feeling of rebirth for some that the writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins On Opening Day. Thomas M Boswell (born 11 October 1947 in Washington DC) is an American sports columnist [1] Many feel that the occasion represents a newness or a chance to forget last season, in that the 30 major league clubs and their millions of fans begin with 0-0 records.
For generations, Opening Day has arrived amid pageantry. In Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the sport's first professional team, an annual parade marks an unofficial "city holiday" with young and old alike taking the day off to cheer on the Reds. The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 were Baseball 's first openly all-professional team The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA For decades, the first pitch of every major league season officially took place in Cincinnati. Although the past decade has brought the introduction of a Sunday night opening game on ESPN as well as the staging of season-opening series in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Japan, the ensuing Monday brings Opening Day to numerous major league ballparks and the game that day in Cincinnati (the only team that always opens the season at home) is still observed throughout baseball as the "traditional opener. ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. " Opening Day is a state of mind as well, with countless baseball fans known to recognize this unofficial holiday as a good reason to call in sick at work or "play hooky" from school and go out to the ballpark for the first of 162 regular season games. Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from Compulsory schooling.
Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, who played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, once said: "An opener is not like any other game. Early Wynn Jr, familiarly known as "Gus" Wynn, ( January 6, 1920 &ndash April 4, 1999) was a right-handed Baseball The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. There's that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one, you can't lose 'em all. "[1]
Opening Day extends throughout the sport of baseball, to hundreds of minor league baseball franchises as well as to college, high school, youth league fields and in areas far beyond North America. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North College baseball is Baseball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of Higher education, predominantly in the United States. Similarly, there are opening-night performances for new Broadway plays. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located
Prior to Opening Day, the teams' managers have to decide the starting pitchers for the Opening Day game. In Baseball, the head coach of a team is called the manager (or more formally the field manager) this individual controls matters In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of This spot is usually given to the teams' ace pitchers, and is usually considered an honor for a pitcher to start on Opening Day. In turn, the pitchers who start on Opening Day are usually recognized throughout the baseball world as their teams' best starting pitchers.
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History
There is a rich history of special events that have occurred on Opening Day, most notably a 1940 no-hitter thrown by Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller, ultimately a Hall of Famer. In Baseball, a no-hitter (also known as a no-hit game, or colloquially a no-no) refers to a game in which one of the teams prevented the other from getting Robert William Andrew "Bob" Feller (born November 3, 1918 in Van Meter Iowa) nicknamed the "Heater from Van Meter" and It remains the only no-hitter in Opening Day history.
Opening Day has been synonymous with United States presidents as well. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by On April 14, 1910, baseball enthusiast William Howard Taft attended the home opener in Washington D. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting William Howard Taft (September 15 1857 – March 8 1930 was an American politician, the twenty-seventh President of the United States, the tenth Chief Justice C. , becoming the first U. S. President to throw out the first pitch to start a season. The ceremonial first ball is a longstanding Ritual of American baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and Eleven sitting U. S. presidents have done the same since then. One standout, Harry S. Truman, showcased his ambidextrous talent when he threw out ceremonial first pitches with both his right and left arm in 1950. [1] On April 4, 1994, Bill Clinton inaugurated the Cleveland Indians' new ballpark, Jacobs Field, with the first pitch. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Progressive Field is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American
The great Ted Williams was a .449 hitter in openers, with three home runs and fourteen runs batted in during fourteen such games. Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams ( August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) also nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively "Teddy Ballgame" also boasted at least one hit in every Opening Day game in which he appeared.
On April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves ignited the Opening Day crowd in Cincinnati with his first swing. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5 1934 in Mobile Alabama) nicknamed "Hammer" "Hammerin' Hank” or "Bad Henry” is a retired It resulted in his 714th career home run, tying Babe Ruth on Major League Baseball's all-time list. George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of Aaron would finish his career with 755 homers.
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson holds the record for Opening Day home runs with 8. Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont Texas) is a Hall of Fame former Major League Baseball player
Hall of Famer Walter Johnson was arguably the greatest ballplayer in Opening Day history. Walter Perry Johnson ( November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946) nicknamed "The Big Train" was an American right-handed In 14 season openers for the Washington Senators, the "Big Train" pitched a record nine shutouts. His two most famous starts include a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia A's in 1910 and a 1-0 marathon victory while battling the A's Eddie Rommel for 15 innings. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. Edwin Americus Rommel ( September 13 1897 &ndash August 26 1970) was an American right-handed Pitcher in Major League
On April 4, 2005, Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers hit three home runs in his team's opener against the Kansas City Royals at Detroit's Comerica Park. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dmitri Dell Young (born October 11, 1973 in Vicksburg Mississippi) is a Major League Baseball First baseman for the Washington The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. Comerica Park is an open air ballpark located in downtown Detroit Michigan. He became the third major leaguer to homer three times on Opening Day, following the Toronto Blue Jays' George Bell in 1988 and the Chicago Cubs' Tuffy Rhodes in 1994. The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Jorge (George Antonio Bell Mathey (born October 21, 1959, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a former Left fielder and The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes (born August 21 1968 in Cincinnati Ohio) is a professional baseball player currently playing his 11th season
The St. Louis Cardinals were the first major league team to open the season with a night game, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on April 18, 1950. The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St A night game is a sporting event that takes place completely or partially after the local sunset The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The longest Opening Day game in major league history was a 15-inning affair played at Cleveland Stadium on April 19, 1960. Cleveland Stadium (also known as Lakefront Stadium and Cleveland Municipal Stadium) was a Baseball and American football stadium located in Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-2. The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
The first major league team to open its season with a doubleheader was the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. They hosted the Chicago White Sox for two games on April 7, 1971, with Chicago winning both times (6-5 and 12-4, respectively). The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar.
Hall of Famer Tom Seaver has started the most Opening Day games in Major League history, starting the Opener 16 times for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox. George Thomas Seaver (born November 17, 1944) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball Pitcher who broke into the major leagues in and "Mets" redirects here For the medical term see Metastasis. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois.
Quotes
| “ | There is no sports event like Opening Day of baseball, the sense of beating back the forces of darkness and the National Football League. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. | ” |
References
External links
- Baseball's Unique Spectacle: Opening Day by the National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Opening Day Notes by the National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Cincinnati Eager for Opening Day by MLB.com
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