#481---NYA @ WAS, 7/23/2020

 It was appropriate that the very first game of the shortened 2020 season should itself be shortened, as one of the main architects of the absurd, tyrannical display of authoritarian muscle sat smugly in the stands. The only justice was that his team and the team of the New Babylon was beaten by the real America’s team. This was Gerrit Cole’s first start as a Yankee and aside from a first inning Adam Eaton homer, he was nearly flawless, allowing just a walk over the rest of his five innings. His opposite number Max Scherzer struck out eleven in 5 1/3 but dealt with traffic all night...or at least all hour and forty-three minutes of this rain-shortened affair.

#480---BOS @ SEA, 3/28/2019

Seattle crushed Chris Sale and the defending champion Red Sox on Opening Day. Sale went just three innings, allowing seven runs, including one homer from Edwin Encarnacion and two from Gordon Beckham.  Ryon Healy and Domingo Santana would homer off the Boston bullpen to extend the lead.

Boston put up some hits of their own; they had eleven to Seattle’s twelve, but Boston’s accounted for just fourteen total bases while Seattle’s were worth thirty-two, which was reflected in the 12-4 final score.

 

#479---CLE @ SEA, 3/29/2018

Corey Kluber retired the first two batters he faced, but then Robinson Cano singled and Nelson Cruz homered to put Seattle up 2-0. Felix Hernandez shut out the Indians for 5 1/3 innings, and while a two-out sixth-inning rally against Nick Vincent plated a run, they came no closer. Edwin Diaz had an adventurous ninth, striking out Yonder Alonso before plunking Edwin Encarnacion, balking pinch-runner Rajai Davis to second, and hitting Lonnie Chisenhall. Davis swiped third on the first pitch to Yan Gomes, and Chisenhall second on the last, but that was a swinging strike that left runners at second and third with two outs. Diaz struck out Tyler Naquin to save a 2-1 Opening Day win for the Mariners.

#478---SF @ ARI, 4/2/2017

For five innings it looked as if Madison Bumgarner might have a historic Opening Day. He had been perfect, striking out seven Diamondbacks and needing just 54 pitches. He had also just taken Zack Greinke deep in the top of the inning to pad his lead to 2-0.  San Francisco added a tally in the top of the sixth and led 3-0. But after MadBum fanned David Peralta to make it sixteen up, sixteen down, the wheels fell off quickly. Jeff Mathis tripled, pinch-hitter Nick Ahmed singled, and AJ Pollock homered and just like that it was tied. 

Bumgarner came right back and gave the Giants the lead back on his second homer, this one off Andrew Chafin, and held Arizona scoreless in the seventh to leave with a 4-3 lead. It was short-lived as AJ Pollock, Chris Owings, and Paul Goldschmidt greeted Derek Law with three straight singles to tie the game. But in the ninth, Joe Panik led off against Fernando Rodney with a triple and Connor Gillaspie’s sac fly put the Giants up 5-4.

Mark Melancon was summoned for the save, and things look good after he struck out Brandon Drury and Peralta grounded out. But Mathis delivered his second extra base hit with a double (he went 3-4), Daniel Descalso singled to tie it, and Pollock and Owings singled to win it.

 

#477---LA @ SD, 4/4/2016

 

Three runs was probably always going to be enough for Clayton Kershaw on this Opening Day, as he pitched seven shutout innings allowing just one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts. But then the Dodgers pummeled the Padres for five in the sixth, three in the seventh, and four in the eighth to make it a 15-0 massacre without the benefit of a single longball.

#476---CLE @ HOU, 4/8/2015

Solo homers from Carlos Santana and Mike Aviles were all Indians pitchers would need, as Carlos Carrasco turned in an excellent start (6 1/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 W, 10 K). Nick Hagadone relieved him and allowed the first two batters to reach, so he was replaced by Marc Rzepczynski in a rare left-for-left move. Scrabble got Colby Rasmus to hit into a double play on the first pitch, and Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen each turned in scoreless innings to preserve the 2-0 win. 

#475---LA @ SD, 3/30/2014

Both starters pitched well on Opening Day (Andrew Cashner 6 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 W, 5 K and Hyun-Jin Ryu 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 W, 7 K), but the performance of the bullpens diverged significantly. Padre relievers retired nine of the ten batters they faced, while Brian Wilson failed to retire the first five batters he faced, allowing the Padres three decisive eighth inning runs. Chris Perez and Paco Rodriguez struck out the next three, but the damage was done and Huston Street closed the door with eleven pitches in the ninth. 

#474---CLE @ TOR, 4/2/2013

These two teams had also opened the 2012 season (see #439), but this was a very different game: different weather conditions (cold, rainy Cleveland v. the SkyDome), different Tribe skipper (Manny Acta v. Terry Francona), different length of game (16 innings and 5:14 v. 9 innings and 2:31), different outcome (Cleveland blown lead and eventual loss v. Cleveland victory). One thing that was the same was the Cleveland starter, as Justin Masterson turned in another quality Opening Day outing, this time allowing one run on three hits and four walks with four strikeouts over six innings. His opposite number was RA Dickey, making his first start for the Blue Jays after the big offseason trade with the Mets. Dickey went six allowing four runs, and neither bullpen allowed a run so it ended 4-1. 

#473---STL @ MIA, 4/4/2012

 This was the major league opener and the opener for Marlins Park. Both teams had undergone serious roster changes in the offseason, the defending champ Cardinals losing Albert Pujols while the Marlins hired Ozzie Guillen, pursued Pujols hard before spending  their money on Jose Reyes and Mark Buerhle, and generally tossed off those disturbing (at least for Indians fans) 1997 vibes. 

Thankfully that did not to come fruition, not on opening night and not during the season. Postseason hero David Freese picked up where he left off by driving in two with two outs in the first, and the Cards led 3-0 most of the game as Kyle Lohse no-hit the Marlins through six, broken up by Jose Reyes. 

#472---SF @ LA, 4/3/2011

Matt Kemp’s two-run homer off Barry Zito in the first helped the Dodgers break in front 3-0, but the Giants got a run back in the second on Pablo Sandoval’s homer, another in the sixth on three two-out singles, and tied it with Pat Burrell’s leadoff shot in the seventh. Los Angeles answered right back as with a four spot keyed by four hits by the five batters who faced Dan Runzler. In the top of the eighth, Hong-Chi Kuo got two outs sandwiched around a double and a walk. Matt Guerrier came on and walked consecutive batters to force in a run, but Miguel Tejada fouled out on the first pitch he saw to end the threat. Aaron Rowand led off the ninth with a pinch-hit homer off Jonathan Broxton, but Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey both grounded out as the potential tying run and the Dodgers held on 7-5.