{"id":45216,"date":"2021-04-01T14:25:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T18:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=45216"},"modified":"2021-04-01T14:25:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T18:25:51","slug":"top-moments-in-mlb-opening-day-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/04\/01\/top-moments-in-mlb-opening-day-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Moments in MLB Opening Day History"},"content":{"rendered":"

MLB<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Opening Day is like New Years Day for baseball. Significant events, memorable events, and bizarre events have all occurred on baseball’s annual rebirth. For instance, the 1923\u00a0<\/span>New York Yankees<\/span><\/a> season was a special one. Not only did they open the original Yankee Stadium, but it ended with the Yankees winning the first of 27 World Series championships. It’s one of those moments that has been a part of some memorable Opening Day moments. Whether another one of those memories will unfold on April 1, here are some other unforgettable events that happened on Opening Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cincinnati Hosted Almost Every Opener<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Cincinnati Reds<\/a> is the game’s first fully professional club. And for that reason, the Reds were awarded the right to begin every NL season at home and hosted the earliest openers. From 1876-1989, every Reds opener was schedule at home, but twice in their history were they forced to play their first tilt on the road (1877 and 1966). In 1990, the streak finally came to a close when the Reds opened their season on the road against the Houston Astros<\/a>. Cincinnati was so <\/span>protective of their traditional opener status<\/span><\/a> that in 1988, the city council voted to turn back the clocks to ensure that the Reds played the “first” game of the new season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The First Ceremonial Pitch<\/span><\/h3>\n

President William Howard Taft made history on April 14, 1910. The 27th president of the United States first threw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Washington Senators<\/a> and Philadelphia Athletics<\/a> squared off. Opening Day would become an even more special day in Washington D.C., following that April day. Other presidents would follow suit including Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, who have taken part in the ceremonial first pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

When MLB Played Outside the U.S.<\/span><\/h3>\n

MLB first branched outside of the United States when the Montreal Expos<\/a> held their first home opener on April 14, 1969. The Expos hosted the St. Louis Cardinals at Jarry Park Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. Pitcher Dan McGinn, who hit the first home run in Expos history a week prior, won the home opener. McGinn became the first pitcher to win a major league game outside of the United States. The Expos spent 36 years in Montreal before relocating to Washington and became the Nationals before the 2005 season.<\/span><\/p>\n