1890 – The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, who will later be known as the Dodgers, play their first National League game. At South End Grounds, the former American Association club loses to the host Boston Beaneaters, 15 – 9. Brooklyn will go on to win the pennant in their first season in a new league, following their title in a different major league the previous season.
1900 – The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 19-17, in 10 innings, to set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day. The Braves scored nine runs in the ninth inning to put the game into extra innings.
1920 – Al Schacht, who later became the “Clown Prince of Baseball,” was all business as he pitched the Senators to a 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
1928 – The Yankees are out of first place for the first time since May 1926 as they lose the morning Patriots Day game in Boston.
1938 – In the top of the first inning at Philadelphia, Ernie Koy of the Dodgers homers in his first major league at-bat. In the bottom of the inning, leadoff man Heinie Mueller also hits a home run in his first time up in the major leagues.
1949 – At pre-game ceremonies marking the season opener in Yankee Stadium, a granite monument to Babe Ruth is unveiled in center field. Plaques honoring Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins are also presented.
1950 – Sid Gordon of the Braves hits the first N.L. grand slam of the season, as Boston beats the Giants 10-6 at the Polo Grounds. There will be 35 in the league and 68 in all in 1950. Both are records but both are later topped.
1956 – The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, in 10 innings at Roosevelt Stadium in the first major-league game ever held in New Jersey.
1965 – At a cost of $20K, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because the sun’s glare makes fielding fly balls hazardous. This will cause the grass to die and spur the introduction of artificial turf.
1966 – In the first regular season game at Anaheim Stadium, California drops a 3-1 decision to the White Sox before 31,660 fans. Rick Reichardt hits the Angels’ first regular-season home run in the new facility.
1979 – Following a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, Yankees Rich Gossage and Cliff Johnson brawl in the clubhouse. Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb and will be sidelined until July 12.
1981 – In an International League night game, the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox played to a 2-2 tie through 32 innings before play was suspended at 4:07 a.m. The game was completed later in the season with Pawtucket scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning of the longest game in professional baseball history.
1981 – In the first game of a doubleheader the Oakland Athletics set a major league record for consecutive wins at the start of the season, running their record to 11-0 with a 6-1 win over Seattle. The Mariners win the nightcap 3-2 on Richie Zisk’s solo home run in the eighth inning.
1984 – Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen picks up his first major league victory as the Royals beat the Tigers 5-2. It is the first loss of the season for the red-hot Tigers, who began the year 9-0 and will never fall out of first place in the A.L. East.
1986 – Oakland’s Jose Rijo sets a club record with 16 strikeouts in eight innings as the A’s beat Seattle 7-2. The two clubs combine for 30 strikeouts overall, setting the modern major league record for a nine-inning game.
1987 – Dale Sveum’s two-run home run off Greg Harris caps a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and gives the Brewers a 6-4 win over Texas and a 12-0 record, breaking the 1981 A’s record for the best start in A.L. history.
1996 – The Rangers explode for 16 runs in the eighth inning of a 26-7 demolition of the Orioles. The eighth-inning outburst comes within one run of the record for most runs in an inning this century and raised Jesse Orosco’s ERA from an ugly 9.82 to an almost unfathomable 27.00. Orosco is relieved by infielder Manny Alexander, who gets the last two outs but walks off the mound with a 67.50 ERA.
1997 – The first major league game is played in Hawaii. The Padres, who gave up three home games to further baseball relations and to further renovations at their stadium, play host for a doubleheader against St. Louis at spacious Aloha Stadium. The Cardinals win the doubleheader 1-0, and 2-1.
2000 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser ties a major league mark, equaled by 19 others, hitting four batters in one game. Richard Hidalgo of the Houston Astros also ties a modern major league record by getting hit three times in the game, twice by Hershiser and a third time by Dodgers reliever Matt Herges.
2002 – Jeff Cirillo of the Seattle Mariners ties a major league record with 99 consecutive errorless games played at third base. The mark took previous holder John Wehner more than eight seasons to establish playing as a utility player with the Dodgers, Pirates and Marlins.
2005 – The New York Mets establish a club record for most home runs hit in a game with seven. At Citizens Bank Park, the Mets go deep with Jose Reyes (2), Victor Diaz (2) David Wright (grand slam), Mike Piazza and Doug Mientkiewicz connecting as they rout the Phillies, 16 – 4.
2022 – The Padres are the first team to announce a deal to have advertisements on their uniforms, as they will sport the logo of Motorola on their jersey sleeves starting next season.
2023 – The Oakland Athletics sign a binding agreement to buy a plot of land near the famous strip in Las Vegas, NV, with the plan of building a $1.5 billion ballpark with a partially retractable roof there. The A’s lease with the city of Oakland, CA for the aging Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and negotiations to find a new site for a ballpark in the East Bay area over the past decade have proved futile.
