Game Notes – 03/27/2025

From 1973 through 1981, Richie Hebner participated in eight Opening Days.  “Participated,” while accurate, fails to match the power of the corner infielder’s impact in those contests.  He went 18-for-33 (.545), scored 13 runs and whammed his way to making a baker’s dozen of those safeties go for extra bases (six doubles and six homers with a triple).  This stretch is the apex of one of Hebner’s calling cards – as a man who thrived when it came to individually matching the pageantry of Opening Day.  In all, Hebner played in 12 of them and soared to a 1.042 slugging percentage over 53 plate appearances.  For all players since 1901, he’s the only representative to slug at least 1.000 with at least 30 trips to the dish. 

Tyler O’Neill now owns a 1.286 slugging mark in 28 plate appearances on Opening Day.  In 16 trips, Adley Rutschman now stands, perhaps in a Superman pose, at 1.357.  

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman continued to batter the baseball on Opening Day.  With his 3-for-5 effort (including a first-inning home run as the club’s second batter of the season and another big fly in the eighth), the 27-year-old has now played in three Opening Days and is (sit down for this or maybe leap up and applaud) 10-for-14 with seven runs, three longballs, nine RBI and two walks.  

Rutschman’s teammate Cedric Mullins also launched a pair of pitches out of the yard.  Aside from the two tying the Orioles’ franchise high for Opening Day home runs, they made some wider history as well.  In the former category, they tied Brooks Robinson (1973) and Sam Horn (1990) as the only Browns/Orioles to post a multi-homer effort in the club’s first game of the year.  In the latter perspective, they became the 10th pair of teammates to have a multi-homer Opening Day.  In 1932, Babe Ruth and Sammy Byrd did this for the Yankees to set the standard.  It had last happened in 2019, when Dodgers Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernández performed the duet.  

And, they did it!  Orioles right fielder Tyler O’Neill homered on Opening Day for the sixth straight year, extending his record.  With a solo shot, Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper ended his run of six consecutive homerless Opening Days.  With the two blasts, the two climbed some all-time charts.

All-Time Leaders – Most Opening Day Home Runs

8:  Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn

7:  Babe Ruth, Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays

6:  Brooks Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Richie Hebner, Dave Winfield, Gary Carter, Barry Bonds, Scott Rolen, Tyler O’Neill, Bryce Harper

All-Time Leaders – Most Games With an Opening Day Home Run

8:  Frank Robinson

7:  Ken Griffey, Jr.

6:  Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Gary Carter, Dave Winfield, Adam Dunn, Scott Rolen, Tyler O’Neill

With their six total longballs, the 2025 Orioles established a new franchise record for most homers in an Opening Day and matched the 1988 Mets and 2018 White Sox for the second most in a club’s initial game.  The 2019 Dodgers – thanks in part to those multi-homer efforts from Pederson and Hernández, amassed eight.  In the Mets’ powerhouse display, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds each had a pair of long ones, while Chicago’s extra-big burst was significantly aided by Matt Davidson’s three dingers and Tim Anderson’s two.  

O’Neill completed his record-creating day having reached safely all five times (three hits and two walks).  He’s one of 28 players in the modern era to have an Opening Day featuring at least one home run and five times on base.  Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson also managed this achievement on Thursday, thanks to a homer and four walks.  Before this year, Adley Rutschman had been the last to do it:  in 2023, the catcher went 5-for-5 with one homer and a walk.  

Pirates righty Paul Skenes made his first Opening Day start, allowing two runs and striking out seven while pitching into the sixth inning. At 22 years and 302 days old, Skenes became the youngest Opening Day starting pitcher for Pittsburgh in the modern era, undercutting Bob Friend (23, 140) from 1954.  Among starters since 1901, Skenes is the 61st youngest, slotted between Detroit’s George Mullin in 1903 and Red Sox righty Danny MacFayden in 1928.  A few other notes about this:

~Skenes’ effort produced a Game Score of 59.  José Fernández (2014) is the last Opening Day starter to be younger than Skenes and have a score that high (the Marlins’ right-hander posted a 67).  A couple of other notable efforts from Opening Day starters younger than Skenes: in 1910, Walter Johnson, 22 years and 159 days old, hurled a one-hit shutout with three walks and nine strikeouts against the Athletics; thirty years later, Cleveland’s Bob Feller (21, 165) went the distance and held his opponent hitless.

~The four youngest Opening Day starting pitchers since 1901 (because it’s extra fun to recall these names):

Catfish Hunter in 1966 (20, 004)

Dwight Gooden in 1985 (21, 144)

Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 (20, 159)

Bob Feller in 1939 (20, 169)

Skenes’ teammate, Andrew McCutchen, made his 11th Opening Day start for the Pirates.  The 38-year-old is the ninth player for the franchise in the modern era to make at least that many, joining Hall of Famers Willie Stargell (17), Roberto Clemente (16), Honus Wagner (14), Max Carey (14), Pie Traynor (13), Bill Mazeroski (13), Paul Waner (12) and Fred Clarke (11).

Speaking of franchise climbers into the top floors, Houston’s Jose Altuve started in his 13th Opening Day with the franchise.  The milestone moved the (now) left fielder closer to the  Astros’ leaders, behind only Craig Biggio (19) and Jeff Bagwell (15).

Making his fourth straight Opening Day start, Astros southpaw Framber Valdez issued seven scoreless frames and picked up the win.  Valdez, who is one of five Astros hurlers to make at least four straight Opening Days starts, is the first since Dallas Keuchel in 2017 to go at least seven and keep the opponent off the board.  In his four Opening Day assignments, Valdez owns a 1.16 ERA, the lowest among the six pitchers in team history with at least four Opening Day starts.  Larry Dierker’s 2.73 (in four starts) is the second lowest.

Making his first career Opening Day start and leading off the bottom of the first for the Yankees, Austin Wells went yard.  All-time, New York’s catcher is the first player for the franchise to homer as the team’s first batter of the year.  To add one additional layer to the notoriety, Wells is the first backstop to bat leadoff and homer in the first inning on Opening Day for any franchise, dating back to 1901.  Last season, Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz and Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia opened their respective clubs’ campaigns with a leadoff homer.  

Aaron Judge doubled in the Yankees’ win to extend his Opening Day hitting streak to nine games (he’s hit safely in all of his Opening Days).  This Judge has a long way to go to match the longest Opening Day hitting streak in the modern era, owned by Joe Judge.  The Senators first baseman collected at least one knock in 15 straight, from 1917 through 1931.

Washington’s MacKenzie Gore concluded his first-ever Opening Day start with 13 punchouts over six innings of one-hit, no-run ball.  The left-hander’s strikeout tally established a new benchmark for the Expos/Nationals franchise and ran close to the highest mark for any Opening Day pitcher since 1901:

Opening Day – Most K’s Since 1901

15    Camilo Pascual (1960)

14    Don Drysdale (1960), Randy Johnson (1993, 1996), Shane Bieber (2020)

13    Lon Warneke (1934), Bob Gibson (1967), Dave McNally (1970), J.R. Richard (1980), MacKenzie Gore (2025)

Among this coterie, Gore joined Gibson and Richard as the only hurlers to pair all those strikeouts with no walks.  

Previously, Max Scherzer – with 12 strikeouts in 2019 – had owned the franchise high mark.

Giants right-hander Logan Webb (5.0 IP, 3 R) didn’t figure in the decision, but he did carve out a significant line on Thursday.  Webb has started each of the past four Opening Days for San Francisco, a rarely-authored streak in the franchise’s history dating back to 1901.

Giants Pitchers:  Most Consecutive Opening Day Starts

6:  Juan Marichal (1964-1969)

4:  Bill Voiselle (1944-1947), Larry Jansen (1948-1951), Tim Lincecum (2009-2012), Madison     Bumgarner (2014-2017), Logan Webb (2022-2025)

Mike Trout started in his 13th Opening Day for the Angels to match Garret Anderson for the most in franchise history.  In this game, Trout was 0-for-2, leaving him 53 extra-base hits behind Anderson for the most in Angels annals.  Trout is already the franchise career leader in runs, home runs and walks, while Anderson, in addition to holding the XBH-belt, is tops when it comes to hits, doubles, total bases and RBI.

Although neither figured in the decision, a little bit of history came out of the matchup between Red Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet and Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi.  At 25 years and 279 days, Crochet became the youngest left-handed Opening Day starter for Boston since 23-year-old Babe Ruth in 1918 (Ruth also made starts in 1916 and 1917).  With nine punchouts, Eovaldi tied the franchise record.  In 1991, Nolan Ryan fanned nine on Opening Day, a level later matched by Colby Lewis in 2012, Matt Harrison in 2013 and Lance Lynn in 2020.

Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu tied a team record with a two-homer Opening Day.  The others atop the list:  Ted Lepcio (1955), Lenny Green (1965), Carl Yastrzemski (1968), Carlton Fisk (1973), Hanley Ramírez (2015) and Dustin Pedroia (2015), with those last two being yet another example of the aforementioned pairs to twice go deep in the same season opener.

White Sox righty Sean Burke spun six frames of scoreless ball in the club’s win to become the ninth Opening Day starter in team history to post a zero in the runs column.  The list begins with Frank Smith and his one-hit shutout in 1910 and includes Wilbur Wood in 1976, a couple of Mark Buehrle performances (2005 and 2010) and a seven-K effort from Chris Sale in 2013.

Kyle Manzardo doubled, tripled and homered (he also drew a walk) in a four-RBI day as the Guardians toppled the Royals.  So much to consider:

~The 24-year-old is the third player in the modern era to fill up every extra-base hit category on Opening Day, joining the Tigers’ Gee Walker in 1937 and the Orioles’ Don Baylor in 1973.  

~Manzardo’s nine total bases came within one of tying Cleveland’s Opening Day bar, set by Travis Hafner in 2004.   His four RBI tied the franchise’s Opening Day high mark, matching Tris Speaker in 1925 and Leon Wagner in 1964.  

~Manzardo is one of 14 Opening Day stars since 1901 to post a line featuring at least 4 RBI, at least four times on base and at least three extra-base hits.  No other Clevelander is on the list, which is headed by Frank Dillon and his four extra-base hits (he’s the only one with four on this list) in the very first game in Tigers franchise history, on April 25, 1901.  Before Manzardo, Colorado’s C.J. Cron was the last producer of this kind of line, in 2023.

Salvador Perez made his 11th Opening Day start for the Royals, the sixth most in team history.  George Brett (18), Frank White (15), Hal McRae (13), Alex Gordon (13) and Amos Otis (12) remain above the long-time backstop.  Perez’s 11 Opening Day starts behind the dish tie him with nine others for the 32nd most since 1901, with that collection and everyone else kneeling (crouching?) before Iván Rodríguez and his 20.

Jackson Merrill, all of 21 years and 342 days old and making his second Opening Day start, drove in four runs to aid San Diego’s 7-4 win over Atlanta.  The record books dating back to 1901 offer four names to have posted a four-RBI (or better) Opening Day at a younger age:

2010    Jason Heyward (20, 239) with 4 RBI

1975    Gary Carter (20, 364) with 4 RBI

1908    Ty Cobb (21, 118) with 4 RBI

1969    Don Money (21, 305) with 5 RBI

In their win, San Diego nabbed five steals (two apiece from Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, Jr., and one from Xander Bogaerts).  Machado and Tatis, Jr. are the seventh pair of teammates since 1901 to each collect at least two steals on Opening Day.  The others:

1908 Highlanders      Red Kleinow and Jake Stahl

1914 Yankees            Fritz Maisel and Ed Sweeney

1976 Reds                  Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan

1989 Yankees            Rickey Henderson and Roberto Kelly

1997 Reds                  Barry Larkin and Deion Sanders

2023 Orioles              Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.