#444---NYA @ TB, 4/2/2017

The Rays did all of their Opening Day scoring against Masahiro Tanaka, battering him for seven runs in 2 2/3, while Chris Archer went seven allowing two runs. Note Aaron Judge starting his official rookie season batting eighth in the Yankee lineup. 

#443---STL @ PIT, 4/3/2016

This was the first MLB game of the season, which means that the first RBI in the majors in 2016 belonged to Francisco Liriano, who would drive in more runs than he allowed this day. Liriano worked six shutout innings, fanning ten and walking five. The Pirates scored three in six innings against Adam Wainwright and each bullpen allowed a single run.

Note that I marked Colton Wong’s popout in the top of the 6th as “IF4” (subscript 9S indicating shallow right field). The IF designation means it was an infield fly, which I only indicate when the catch is not actually completed. 

#442---SF @ ARI, 4/6/2015

Each team scored their first run of the season in the third inning, then a pair of big innings decided it. San Francisco struck first with Brandon Crawford’s two-out, two-run double capping a four-run fifth. Madison Bumgarner held Arizona down for seven innings, but they jumped on his bullpen, getting three of four runners who faced Javier Lopez and Jean Machi aboard before Chris Owings greeted Sergio Romo with a bases-clearing double. But Romo and Jeremy Affeldt got strikeouts to retire the side and Santiago Casilla had a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

#441---LA @ ARI, 3/22/2014

I got up early to watch this season opener, played in Sydney with first pitch at 5:00 AM Eastern. Scott Van Slyke’s two-run homer in the fifth was all Clayton Kershaw and bullpen would need. Kershaw went 6 2/3, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while fanning seven. 

#440---TEX @ HOU, 3/31/2013

Part of the payoff the Astros got for moving to the AL was apparently the honor of hosting the season’s first game, with their new state/division rival Rangers in town. It was an auspicious beginning to what has been a glorious first ten seasons in the AL for the franchise (what with four pennants and two World Series titles). Houston was still rebuilding, with only Jose Altuve and Jason Castro in the lineup among future contributors to their contending teams, but Jason Maxwell hit two triples, Rick Ankiel launched a three-run pinch-hit homer, and Bud Norris and Erik Bedard kept Texas’ offense largely in check. 

#439---TOR @ CLE, 4/5/2012

 

This game ran for 5:14 and sixteen innings on a chilly Opening Day in Cleveland. It started out promisingly for the home team as Jack Hannahan’s three-run homer off Ricky Romero in the second gave the Tribe a 4-1 lead that they carried into the ninth. Justin Masterson was excellent, allowing just two hits (one a homer by Jose Bautista), one walk, and fanning ten. He might have had a shot at a complete game, but in the eighth he made nineteen pitches, including five necessitated after JP Arencibia reached on a strikeout/wild pitch. Chris Perez came on for the ninth and in five batters Toronto had tied it on Edwin Encarnacion’s two-run double. 

Both teams’ best extra innings chance came in the twelfth. Toronto loaded the bases with two outs, but Rajai Davis flied out to the warning track in left. Cleveland loaded the bases with one out, but Asdrubal Cabrera grounded the first pitch he saw into a double play. In the sixteenth, Jairo Ascenio was in his third inning of work and walked Brett Lawrie, made a throwing error trying to get the lead runner on Omar Vizquel’s grounder (Vizquel, age 45, was in the game at first base as a utility man), and then was taken deep by Arencibia. It was the first disappointment of what would be a very long season for the Indians.

#438---MIL @ CIN, 4/2/2011

The Reds got two runs off Shaun Marcum in each of the first and second and used an efficient Travis Wood start (7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 W, 7 K, just 83 pitches) to ease to a 4-2 win.

#437---ARI @ SEA, 3/20/2010

For this spring training game I used a sheet with diamonds and boxes for balls and strikes. You can discern the pitch sequence as balls are marked with numbers while strikes use symbols to distinguish called (.), foul (-), and swinging (+). Felix Hernandez breezed through 5 shutout innings while Dan Haren gave up homers to Franklin Gutierrez and Ryan Langerhans as Seattle won 4-0.

#436---SD @ PHI, 4/18/2009

Solo homers from Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley contributed to the Phillies’ 5-4 lead entering the ninth, but Brad Lidge gave up a leadoff double to Jody Gerut who scored on a pair of groundouts, then issued two out walks to Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley. Kevin Kouzmanoff followed with a three run homer and Heath Bell set the Phils down in order for the save.