The New York Yankees are ready for the 2016 season, and their 113th season as an organization. Today, the quest for their 28th World Championship begins.
By Christian Kouroupakis
There’s a sense of renewal in the air as teams embark on a new season, destined to make a run for the commissioner’s trophy.
Some teams are in better position than others, yet all 30 teams feel like they have a legitimate shot to win the World Series.
For the New York Yankees, the prize is expected. Every Opening Day since their creation as a franchise has been considered the start of an unforgettable journey that ends with them on top.
Over the years, we have experienced some of the greatest moments not only in Opening Day history, but in Yankee history in general.
In honor of a brand spanking new season, let’s take a look back at the greatest moments in Yankees’ Opening Day history.
One thing to note: for this list, I compiled the best moments from both Opening Day and home openers.
Opening Day Fun Facts
Want to impress your friends while you’re watching the game today? Hit ’em with these facts:
- The Yankees have a 63-46-1 record on Opening Day.
- The Yankees have not won on Opening Day since 2011. They are 1-6 in the last seven years.
- The 1978 home opener was the only time the Yankees did not have someone throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day.
- The largest opening day crowd was 56,717 on April 10, 1998.
- Alex Rodriguez is 15-for-35 (.429 average) with two home runs and nine RBIs in his opening day career as a Yankee.
- When Luis Cessa takes the mound at some point, he’ll be the first player in Yankees’ history to wear no. 85 (via Jared Diamond).
- Ron Blomberg became the first designated in Major League Baseball on Opening Day in 1973.
Without further adieu, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
10. Apr. 11, 2006
Vintage Derek Jeter showed up during the Yankees’ 2006 home opener.
The Yankees were trailing the Kansas City Royals 7-4 before putting up a five spot in the eighth inning. Jeter cranked a go-ahead three run home run to cap off the epic comeback.
Mariano Rivera came on to save the Yankees 9-7 victory.
The captain went on to slash .343/.417/.483 with 14 home runs that season. Jeter was an all-star, gold glove winner, and came in second in the American League MVP award voting.
Fun fact: On this day, former Yankees catcher John Flaherty, debuted as a pregame and post game announcer for the YES Network.
9. Apr. 15, 1976
Baseball is back in Da Bronx.
Their home opener in 1976 marked the return to play at Yankee Stadium after two years in Queens. One of baseball’s biggest stages underwent serious renovation in order to keep up with the changing image of ballparks across baseball.
New York came back from trailing 4-0 and scored 11 unanswered runs to win the ballgame 11-4 against the Minnesota Twins.
Oscar Gamble went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s and two runs scored in the victory.
The Yankees would win six world series in the “new” Yankee Stadium, and it would play host to some of the greatest moments in baseball history.
8. Apr. 1, 2008
It was the final opening day at “the House that Ruth Built,” so sorrow was added to the typical feeling of anxiety and determination.
Against ace Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays, Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with an RBI and starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang got the victory. Joe Girardi also go his first win as manager of the Yankees.
Unfortunately, the Yankees failed to make the postseason for the first time since 1993, but it was the start of the farewell tour to one of baseball’s greatest cathedrals.
7. Apr. 10, 1962
The Yankees took home their 20th World Championship in 1962, and their home opener set the tone for what would be an epic season for the bombers.
New York played host to the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium and defeated them 7-6.
Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle lived up to their nickname, the “M & M Boys,” and each hit a home run in the contest.
Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Maris cranked a three-run shot into the seats in right field to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. New York pitching would be unable to hold on, and the Bombers trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth.
Mantle led the inning, and hit a game-tying solo home run to straightaway center to knot the ballgame up at six. The Yankees would later take the lead on a Bill Skowron single.
This would be the start of an epic season for the M&M boys, despite the year prior being the year they chased Babe Ruth’s home run record.
They would finish with 63 home runs and 189 RBIs combined and a World Series ring.
6. Apr. 9, 1996
When you think of Opening Day, you might think of a warm spring day with the sun shining bright. Don’t we all?
For the Yankees in ’96, however, their home opener was greeted by snowfall.
Andy Pettite was the starting pitcher, Joe Girardi was the starting catcher, and batting 9th and making his home opener debut at shortstop, Derek Jeter.
Jeter went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the contest while Pettite pitched 6.1 innings of three-run ball while striking out six. The Yankees went on to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3.
This would be the start of a Hall-of-Fame career for Jeter, and the start of a season that finished with the Yankees breaking their 18-year World Series drought. Jeter also went on to win the Rookie of the Year award.
5. Apr. 10, 1998
The greatest team in the history of baseball (yes, better than the ’86 Mets) played in an epic slug-fest against the Oakland Athletics in their home opener.
Tino Martinez would be the only man in pinstripes to hit a home run, but the score board operator at Yankee Stadium had a very busy afternoon.
Martinez, Bernie Williams, Chad Curtis, Scott Brosius, and Joe Girardi went a combined 15-for-21 with 15 RBI as the Yankees out slugged Oakland 17-13.
There were 10 pitchers used by both teams in the four hour-six-minute affair.
New York went on to win 114-regular season games and swept the World Series against the San Diego Padres. Still to this day, this team is considered the best to ever take the field.
4. Apr. 8, 2003
I can still hear Michael Kay’s voice:
“What an introduction to Yankee Stadium!”
Hideki Matsui, who was considered the Babe Ruth of Japanese baseball, dominated the sport in his native home land, especially in in the category home runs.
After slugging 332 home runs for the Yomiuri Giants, the Yankees signed him to a deal prior to the 2003 season and he immediately made an impact in his first game sporting Yankee pinstripes.
Facing off against the Minnesota Twins, Matsui cranked a grand slam into the bleachers in the bottom of the fifth to give his new team a 7-1 lead, and sent the Bronx crowd into a frenzy.
The Bombers went onto win 7-3, and it was the start of an epic tenure in pinstripes for “Godzilla.” He slashed .292/.370/.482 and hit 140 home runs while driving in 597 RBI’s during his seven years in New York.
He also took home the 2009 World Series MVP honors.
Note: Godzilla will throw out the ceremonial first pitch today during the ceremonies and pageantry.
3. Apr. 19, 1946
The Yankees hosted the Washington Senators in their home opener in 1946. It was also the year Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Gordon, and Bill Dickey returned from serving their country in the second World War.
New York trailed the ballgame 6-5 as the game entered the ninth inning. DiMaggio stepped to the plate with two outs and ripped a double to left field to score Snuffy Stirnweiss.
That tied the game at six apiece and the next batter, Johnny Lindell, won it with a walk off to cap off the ninth inning rally.
DiMaggio finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. He would end up having an amazing year slashing .290/.367/.511 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI.
2. Apr. 13, 1978
The Yankees were armed and ready to defend their 1977 World Series title, a championship fueled by “Mr. October,” Reggie Jackson.
If you don’t recall, Jackson cranked three home runs in three straight at-bats in Game 6 of the series, becoming the first player since Babe Ruth to hit three home runs in a World Series Game.
In the Bombers’ home opener the following year, Jackson crushed a pitch off Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox for a three-run jack in the first inning. This marked his fourth home run in four straight at-bats at Yankee Stadium dating back to the previous Fall Classic.
Following the home run, fans began to toss “Reggie Bars,” the candy bar named after the October hero, onto the field to celebrate his amazing accomplishment.
1. Apr. 18, 1923
The first game at Yankee Stadium.
One of the greatest venues across America had it’s first ballgame on a Wednesday afternoon in front of a crowd of 74,200 people.
This is known as the contest that turned Yankee Stadium from a ballpark in the Bronx to “The House that Ruth Built.”
In the third inning, facing his former team, Babe Ruth christened the new stadium with a three-run home run that put the Yankees up 3-0, en route to a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
In its 86 years of existence, Yankee Stadium hosted 6,581 regular season home games for the Bombers. It played host to World Series games, boxing matches, football games, soccer games, concerts and more making it a world famous destination.
In the Yankees illustrious history, some of the coolest moments have come on opening day.
Every year, the opportunity to do something great in the first game of the year comes, and almost every year one player rises to the occasion.
Today, we get to see if a member of the current Bronx Bombers can come through and earn a spot on next year’s list.