Baseball Opening Day Highlights

Baseball fans are always excited for opening day, the first chance to see their favorite team in action. It’s a tradition of bringing out the banners, reliving past highlights and looking to the future for what can be in store. This year, MLB has decided to shake things up with some new rules that are sure to divide fans, but it will take time and viewership to see how the changes affect the game.

In the meantime, here are some of our favorite opening day moments.

The most memorable Opening Day in recent memory was Nolan Ryan’s first at the helm of the Texas Rangers in 1993. The 46-year-old legend was a true veteran, but that didn’t stop him from leading his team to a win on the first pitch of the season and setting the record for oldest Opening Day starter (tied with Tommy John).

Some teams have long had the reputation of having some of the more unique promotions at their openers, including the Philadelphia Phillies’ “Parachute Man,” who jumped off the top of the roof before the first pitch; Kite Man, who soared above the stadium; and Cyclerc, who zipped around the field in a high-speed motorcycle.

Only four players have ever hit three home runs on Opening Day, and Matt Davidson was the most recent in 2018. The White Sox slugger joined Toronto Blue Jays’ George Bell (1988), Chicago Cubs’ Tuffy Rhodes (1994) and Detroit Tigers’ Dmitri Young (2015) as the only openers with three homers.