Opening Day: Difference between revisions

| caption = 2009 Opening Day at [[Dodger Stadium]] in [[Los Angeles]]

| observedby = [[United States]], [[Canada]]

| weekday = <!-- "Sunday", "Monday", "Thursday", "Friday", etc. -->

<!-- Use next three if the date changes in an unusual pattern each year -->| date2021 celebrations = April 1

For generations, Opening Day has arrived amid pageantry. In [[Cincinnati]], home of the sport's [[Cincinnati Red Stockings|first openly all-professional team]], the annual [[Findlay Market]] Parade marks an official "city holiday" with young and old alike taking the day off to cheer on the [[Cincinnati Reds|Reds]]. For decades, the first pitch of every major league season officially took place in Cincinnati, and the Reds remain the only major league team to always open the season with a home game (the sole exceptions, since the beginning of the 20th century, being in 1966, when they started the season at Philadelphia after rain washed out the opening series in Cincinnati; 1990, when due to a [[1990 Major League Baseball lockout|lockout]] affecting the schedule they opened the season at Houston; and 2022, when another [[2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout|lockout]] led to their opening the season at Atlanta).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/2022/03/01/cincinnati-reds-2022-opening-day-canceled-started-mlb-season-road-games-1966-rain-1990-lockout/9337333002/|title=Reds to open MLB season on road for third time since joining National League in 1890|newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer|last=Clark|first=Dave|date=March 11, 2022|accessdate=April 7, 2022}}</ref> The [[Chicago Cubs]] have been the Reds' most frequent Opening Day opponent, visiting Cincinnati for 36 season openers, most recently in 2007. The [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], against whom the current Reds organization played their first opener in 1882, are a close second with 32, most recently in 20192023; no other team has more than 19 (by the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], most recently in 2014), largely due to the Cubs and Pirates rotating as the Opening Day opponents from 1899 to 1916, then the two teams and the Cardinals rotated from 1917 to 1952.<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/opening_day/odschedule.php?t=CN5 Cincinnati Reds Opening Day History] ''Baseball Almanac''</ref> Following the then-[[Boston Braves]] relocation to [[Milwaukee]] during the 1953 spring training, the Braves swapped schedules with the Pirates and the Opening Day opponent for the Reds began to be rotated amongst the rest of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].<ref name=bbgtnm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o2MbAAAAIBAJ&pg=6044%2C448338 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press |title=Boston Braves go to Milwaukee |date=March 18, 1953 |page=1}}</ref> Fittingly, the Reds were also the first team to host an [[Interleague play|Interleague game]] on Opening Day when the team hosted the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]] in the first year of year-round Interleague play in 2013.<ref>[http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_01_anamlb_cinmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=cin#!/box Choo does his part, but bats stifled as Reds fall in 13] MLB.com (04/01/2013)</ref>

Prior to Opening Day, the teams' managers have to decide the starting [[pitcher]]s for the game, an assignment typically given to the [[ace (baseball)|ace]] of each team's staff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120402&content_id=27845066&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos |title=Red Sox lefty Jon Lester will start second straight Opening Day &#124; redsox.com: News |publisher=Boston Red Sox |access-date=March 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201013150/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120402&content_id=27845066&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> For a pitcher to start on Opening Day is considered an honor, regardless of whether they are on the home or visiting team.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/strasburg-calls-opening-day-start-huge-honor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026223251/https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/strasburg-calls-opening-day-start-huge-honor |url-status=live |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |title=Strasburg calls Opening Day start 'huge honor' |publisherwork=FOX Sports |agency=AP |date=April 3, 2012 |access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> Hall of Fame pitcher [[Early Wynn]], who played for the [[History of the Washington Senators (1901&ndash;60)|Washington Senators]], [[Cleveland Indians]] and [[Chicago White Sox]], once said: "An opener is not like any other game. 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."<ref name="opening day"/>

In 2014, [[Ozzie Smith]], with the support of [[Anheuser-Busch]], began a campaign using the ''[[We the People (petitioning system)|We the People]]'' site on [[WhiteHouse.gov]] to petition the U.S. government to make Opening Day an official [[Public holidays in the United States|national holiday]].<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/mlb/story/_/id/10516650/ozzie-smith-leading-drive-turn-opening-day-holiday |title=Ozzie Smith leadingleads driveholiday to turn Opening Day into holidaycampaign |publisher=ESPN |date=January 1, 2008 |access-date=February 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/hall-of-famer-ozzie-smith-trying-to-make-opening-day-a-national-holiday?ymd=20140225&content_id=68290544&vkey=news_mlb |title=Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith trying to make Opening Day a national holiday &#124; MLB.com: News |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=May 24, 2013 |access-date=February 26, 2014}}</ref>

The record for most consecutive victories on Opening Day by a team in history is ten, shared by the [[History of the Boston Braves|Boston Beaneaters]] (1887-18861887–1896) and the [[Houston Astros]] (2011-present2013–2022).<ref>https://twitter.com/SlangsOnSports/status/{{cite tweet|number=1512299427981152261?t|user=b3e9ma0BzNHsd6C8taaJGw&sSlangsOnSports|title=19The Astros have won 10 straight Opening Day games, tied for the longest streak in history with the 1887-96 Boston B…|date=April 8, 2022}}</ref>

Major League Baseball had most of its teams open the 2011 season on a Thursday (March 31) or Friday (April 1) rather than the traditional Monday, in order to prevent the World Series from extending into November.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100914&content_id=14659090&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|title=2011 MLB slate packed with exciting matchups|last=Newman|first=Mark|work=MLB.com|date=September 14, 2010|access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref> Similarly, most teams opened the 2012 season on Thursday (April 5) or Friday (April 6). However, subsequent seasons through 2017 returned to Monday openers for most teams. For the 2018 season, all 30 teams were scheduled to open the season on Thursday, March 29 (the earliest domestic start for a regular season in MLB history, and the first time since 1968 that all major league teams were scheduled to start the season on the same day, although two games were subsequently rained out and postponed to Friday, March 30).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/09/12/mlbs-schedule-opens-march-29-earliest-regular-start/105533830/|title=MLB's schedule opens March 29, earliest regular start|newspaper=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|date=September 12, 2017|access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, MLB scheduled an even earlier opening day for most teams on Thursday, March 28; this excludes a two-game series on March 20 and 21 between the [[2019 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]] and [[2019 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland A'sAthletics]] at the [[Tokyo Dome]] in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24447611/mlb-open-2019-season-march-28-earliest-start-ever|title=MLB slate includes regular-season games in Tokyo, London and Mexico|publisher=ESPN|date=August 22, 2018|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref> The opening of the 2020 season was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 26, but was rescheduled to Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/sports/baseball/mlb-season-opening-day-coronavirus.html|title=M.L.B. Pushes Back Opening Day Over Coronavirus Concerns|last=Kepner|first=Tyler|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 12, 2020}}</ref> The 2021 season opened on Thursday, April 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/opening-day-2021-guide|title=Opening Day! Your guide to today's games|last=Simon|first=Andrew|website=MLB.com|date=April 1, 2021|accessdate=March 1, 2022}}</ref> The opening of the 2022 season, originally scheduled for Thursday, March 31, was delayed to Thursday, April 7 due to the [[2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout|2021–22 lockout]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/baseball-opening-day-mlb-11646172815|title=Baseball’sBaseball's Opening Day Will Be Delayed as MLB Owners, Players Fail to Agree on New Contract|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|last=Diamond|first=Jared|date=March 1, 2022|accessdate=March 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theathletic.com/news/mlb-players-association-agree-to-cba-opening-day-set-for-april-7/BX9hzsUlHiCp/|title=MLB, Players Association agree to CBA; Opening Day set for April 7|last1=Rosenthal|first1=Ken|last2=Drellich|first2=Evan|website=The Athletic|date=March 11, 2022|accessdate=March 12, 2022}}</ref>

|[[1999 Major League Baseball season|1999]]||{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Monterrey]]||[[Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey]]||[[1999 Colorado Rockies season|Colorado Rockies]]||8–2||[[1999 San Diego Padres season|San Diego Padres]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN199904040.shtml|title=April 4, 1999 Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=April 4, 1999|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2000 Major League Baseball season|2000]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Tokyo Dome]]||[[2000 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]]||5–3||[[2000 New York Mets season|New York Mets]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200003290.shtml|title=March 29, 2000 Chicago Cubs at New York Mets Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 29, 2000|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2000 New York Mets season|New York Mets]]||5–1||[[2000 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200003300.shtml|title=March 30, 2000 New York Mets at Chicago Cubs Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 30, 2000|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2001 Major League Baseball season|2001]]||{{flagicon|PUR}} [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]||[[Hiram Bithorn Stadium]]||[[2001 Texas Rangers (baseball)season|Texas Rangers]]||1–8||[[2001 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR200104010.shtml|title=April 1, 2001 Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=April 1, 2001|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2004 Major League Baseball season|2004]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Tokyo Dome]]||[[2004 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]]||3–8||[[2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season|Tampa Bay Devil Rays]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200403300.shtml|title=March 30, 2004 New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Devil Rays Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 30, 2004|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2004 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]]||12–1||[[2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season|Tampa Bay Devil Rays]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200403310.shtml|title=March 31, 2004 New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Devil Rays Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 31, 2004|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2008 Major League Baseball season|2008]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Tokyo Dome]]||[[2008 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]]||6–5||[[2008 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK200803250.shtml|title=March 25, 2008 Boston Red Sox at Oakland Athletics Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 25, 2008|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2008 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]]||1–5||[[2008 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK200803260.shtml|title=March 26, 2008 Boston Red Sox at Oakland Athletics Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 26, 2008|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2012 Major League Baseball season|2012]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Tokyo Dome]]||[[2012 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]]||3–1||[[2012 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK201203280.shtml|title=March 28, 2012 Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 28, 2012|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2012 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]]||1–4||[[2012 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK201203290.shtml|title=March 29, 2012 Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 29, 2012|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2014 Major League Baseball season|2014]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Sydney]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Sydney Cricket Ground]]||[[2014 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]||3–1||[[2014 Arizona Diamondbacks season|Arizona Diamondbacks]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201403220.shtml|title=March 22, 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 22, 2014|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

|[[2014 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]||7–5||[[2014 Arizona Diamondbacks season|Arizona Diamondbacks]]||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201403230.shtml|title=March 23, 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks Boxscore|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=March 23, 2014|access-date=September 27, 2014}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" |[[2019 Major League Baseball season|2019]]|| rowspan="2" |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Tokyo]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Tokyo Dome]]||[[2019 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]]||9–7||[[2019 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gd2.mlb.com/content/game/mlb/year_2019/month_03/day_20/gid_2019_03_20_seamlb_oakmlb_1/boxscore_col.html |title=Seattle Mariners (1-0) 9, Oakland Athletics (0-1) 7 |website=[[MLB.com]] |date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=March 28, 2019}}</ref>

|[[2019 Seattle Mariners season|Seattle Mariners]]||5–4 <small>(12)</small>||[[2019 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]||<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gd2.mlb.com/content/game/mlb/year_2019/month_03/day_21/gid_2019_03_21_seamlb_oakmlb_1/boxscore_col.html |title=Seattle Mariners (2-0) 5, Oakland Athletics (0-2) 4 |website=[[MLB.com]] |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=March 28, 2019}}</ref>

* [http://m.mlb.com/schedule/important-dates Important Dates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305161157/http://m.mlb.com/schedule/important-dates |date=March 5, 2015 }} by [[MLB.com]]