Baseball Roundtable Opening Day Trivia Teaser
Between 1972 and 1986, Steve Carlton started 14 of the 15 Phillies’ Opening Day games. Your question: Who was the pitcher who interrupted Carlton’s string? Hint: It happened in 1976, the pitcher was another lefty, a three-time 20-game winner, and had been an All Star the year before. Side note: In his 14 Opening Day starts, Steve Carlton won three and lost nine – with a 4.30 earned run average, 29 walks and 66 strikeouts in 92 innings.
Answer: Jim Kaat, who had a 25-season MLB career – with 283 wins (237 losses). Kaat pitched for the Phillies from 1976-79, putting up a 27-30, 4.23 record. He spent 15 of his 20 seasons with the Senators/Twins. For those who may be wondering whether Carlton’s health played an issue in Kaat’s Opening Day start, Carlton started the second game of the season and went on to a 20-7 record in 35 starts. Side note: Jim Kaat was not only a 283-game winner, but also a 16-time Gold Glover.
So, there’s a bit of Opening Day trivia for Opening Day 2019. Well, it’s kind of Opening Day. I, unfortunately, can’t forget that the Mariners and A’s played the first 2019 regular-season game back on March 20th. (See BBRT’s comments on that turn of events by clicking here.) Still, let’s look at some Opening Day tidbit and targets you may find of interest.
OPENING DAY – THE SUN SHINES ON THE PITCHERS
Come on, Tom Terrific – Let’s get this party started.
Sticking with the theme of our question, no pitcher started more Opening Day games than Hall of Famer Tom Seaver (16). Seaver opened for Mets eleven times, the Reds three times and for the White Sox twice.
Black Jack – Or “They call him the streak.”
Hall of Famer Jack Morris holds the record for the most consecutive Opening Day starts at 14 (eleven for the Tigers, one for the Twins and two for the Blue Jays). Another Hall of Famer, Robin Roberts, holds the record for the most consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team at 12 – for the Phillies from 1950-1961.
In the “back in the day” category, in the 1950’s (1950-59), Robin Roberts won 199 games and threw 3,011 2/3 innings – for an AVERAGE of 20 wins and 301 innings per season.
Opening Day Starts – Gimme five, bro!
Gaylord Perry was honored by the most teams with Opening Day starts. He started on Opening Day for an MLB-record five different teams (Giants, Indians, Rangers, Padres and Mariners).
An Opening Day No-Hitter – A truly ONE-derous feat.
On April 16, 1940, 21-year-old Bob Feller (already in his fifth MLB season) threw the first – and still only – Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history – topping the White Sox 1-0 in Chicago. It was the first no-hitter (of an eventual three) for Feller, who walked five and struck out eight. During the season, Feller would go on to lead the AL in wins (27), ERA (2.61), strikeouts (261), games pitched (43), games started (37), complete games (31), innings pitched (320 1/3) and shutouts (4).
The Longest Day – 15 Shutout Innings.
On April 13, 1926, the Senators’ Walter Johnson pitched a 15-inning, complete game shutout (six hits, three walks, nine strikeouts) as Washington topped the Philadelphia Athletics 1-0 in Washington. The opposing starter, Eddie Rommel tossed the second-most innings in an Opening Day appearance – going 14 1/3, as Washington scored the winning run with one out in the 15th. Johnson, by the way, was 38-years-old at the time.
Fifteen Strikeouts on Opening Day – Tossing the Hitters a Curve.
On April 18, 1960, Camilo Pascual (known for his sweeping curve ball) took the mound at Griffith Stadium for the Washington Senators (against the Boston Red Sox). In 1959, the Senators had finished in last place in the AL, but Pascual had gone 17-10, 2.64, and led the league with 17 complete games and six shutouts. As the Senators’ Opening Day starter in 1960, Pascual picked up right where he left off – tossing a complete game three-hitter, walking three and striking out a still Opening Day record 15 batters in a 10-1 win over the Red Sox.
U Can’t Touch This – 7-0 on Opening Day.
Jimmy Key holds the record for Opening Day wins without a loss at seven – and he did in the minimum seven starts (Blue Jays, Yankees and Orioles). In those seven wins, he threw 44 1/3 innings, with a 3.05 ERA.
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LET’S GIVE THE HITTERS SOME OPENING DAY LOVE.
Knock Three Times – Most Home Runs in an Opening Day Game.
Until last season (March 29, 2018 to be exact) only three players had hit three home runs in an Opening Day Game – all three on April 4. Now the Opening Day record of three home runs is shared by Four players – the Blue Jays’ George Bell, Cubs’ Tuffy Rhodes, Tigers’ Dmitri Young and White Sox’ Matt Davidson.
On April 4, 1988, George Bell – batting clean-up and serving as the DH – became the first major leaguer to hit three home runs in an Opening Day game as his Blue Jays topped the Royals 5-3 in Kansas City. Bell’s power outburst was no surprise. He was coming off a 1987 season in which he hit 47 homers, drove in 134 runs and was the AL MVP. Bell went three-for-four with three runs scored and four RBI, hitting all three home runs off Royals’ starter Brett Saberhagen.
On a windy April 4, 1994, Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes (leading off and playing CF for the Cubs in Chicago) hit three solo shots off Mets’ starter Dwight Gooden. Rhodes also had a single and a walk in five plate appearances. Despite Rhodes’ record-tying performance, the Cubs lost to the visiting Mets 12-8. At the time, Rhodes had played 107 MLB games in four seasons – hitting a total of five home runs. His MLB career consisted of 225 games in six seasons, with a .224 average and just 13 round trippers (with a high of eight in 1994). Rhodes did go on to hit 474 home runs in eleven seasons in Japan.
On April 4, 2005 the Tigers’ Dmitri Young joined Bell and Rhodes on the list of batters with three home runs in an Opening Day game – as the Tigers topped the Royals 11-2 in Detroit. Young started at DH and went four-for-four with four runs and five RBI. Young, an All Star in 2003 and 2007, hit a total of 21 home runs in 2005 – and 171 in 13 MLB seasons. He hit a career-high 29 round trippers in 2003.
On March 29, 2018, as the White Sox topped the Royals 14-7 in Kansas City, DH and (appropriately) clean-up hitter Matt Davidson opened the season with a three-homer, five-RBI game. He went 3-for-four with a walk, four runs scored and five RBI. Davidson went deep off three different pitchers: solo shots in the fourth and fifth off Danny Duffy and Blaine Boyer and a three-run blast in the eighth off Brian Flynn. Davidson, in his fourth MLB season, went on to a .228-20-62 campaign. In his 273 MLB games (as of the opening of the 2019 season), Davidson has just three multi-homer contests. and a total of 49 round trippers.
Seven RBI in an Opener – Bringing the boys home, sweet home.
Being a Twins’ fan, one of my favorite Opening Day records is seven RBI in Game One of the season – shared by the Twins’ Brant Alyea and the Cubs’ Corey Patterson.
On April 7, 1970 – in his very first game as a Twin – LF Brant Alyea drove in an Opening Day record seven runs as Minnesota topped the White Sox 12-0 in Chicago. Batting fifth, Alyea went four-for-four, with two home runs, two singles and two runs scored. The game, it turned out, would foreshadow a strong April for Alyea. In 17 April games, he hit .415, with seven runs, 23 RBI, four doubles and five home runs.
Thirty-three seasons later – on March 31, 2003 – Cubs’ CF Corey Patterson tied Alyea’s record. In a 15-2 win over the Mets in New York, Patterson, batting seventh, drove in seven runs, going four-for-six with two home runs and two runs scored. Patterson, a career .252 hitter (12 seasons), was an Opening Day All Star. In seven Opening Day appearances, Patterson hit .440, with seven runs, 12 RBI and three home runs.
A Long Time Gone – A True Team Effort.
Only two teams have hit six home runs in a season opener:
1988 Mets: On April 4, 1988, the Mets opened the season with a 10-6 win over Les Expos in Montreal – behind home runs by: Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds (2 homers each); Kevin Elster; and Lenny Dykstra.
2018 White Sox: On March 29, 2018, the White Sox opened the season with a 14-7 win over the Royals in Kansas City. The Sox got three home runs from Mark Davidson two from Tim Anderson; and one from Jose Abreu. Hmmm? As easy as 1-2-3.
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HOW ABOUT SOME PAINFUL OPENING DAY MEMORIES?
Five Whiffs as a hitter – The Sultan of Swing.
On March 31, 1996, White Sox catcher Ron Karkovice set an MLB Opening Day record by striking out five times as Chicago lost 3-2 in Seattle. Karkovice, however, may have been a victim of circumstance.
First, future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson started on the mound for the Mariners – striking out 14 in seven innings (including Karkovice three times).
Second, the White Sox could muster only two runs on four hits over the first nine innings – taking a slim 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth (at that point, Karkovice had fanned just three times).
Third, the Mariners tied the contest in the ninth, and the game went to 12 innings before the Mariners prevailed 3-2. In those three extra innings, Karkovice struck out against Norm Charlton (tenth inning) and Edwin Hurtado (twelfth inning) to set the Opening Day record.
Eleven Walks on Opening Day – We’re gonna take a free ride.
On April 16, 1957, Cleveland southpaw Herb Score set the Opening Day record for pitcher’s walks, delivering eleven free passes to the visiting White Sox. Despite Score’s wildness, it was a close contest, with Score going the distance in a 3-2, 11-inning loss. Score struck out ten and gave just seven hits and two earned runs – stranding 14 Chicago base runners.
The Target? – Not to be the target.
On April 9, 1990, the Astros’ first baseman and cleanup hitter Glenn Davis was hit by a pitch an Opening Day record three times. Davis came to the plate six times and never put the ball in play – but still made only one out. Davis (who led the league in HBP that season with eight) was hit by a pitch three times, walked twice and struck out once as the Astros lost to the visiting Reds 8-4.
BBRT Note: Davis finished Opening Day with a batting average of .000, but an on-base percentage of .833.
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THE KINGS OF OPENING DAY – IN THE BATTER’S BOX AND ON THE MOUND
Photo by wild mercury
Perhaps no one looked forward to Opening Day more than Ted Williams – the king of the Opening Day batter’s box. A career .344 hitter, Williams was even better on Opening Day. Teddy Ballgame played in fourteen openers and was never held without a hit. He compiled a .449 Opening Day average (22 hits in 49 at bats), with three home runs, eight doubles, one triple, nine runs scored, 14 RBI and eleven walks. His Opening Day on-base percentage was .550 and his season-opener slugging percentage was .837.
The Washington Senators’ Walter Johnson can be crowned king of the Opening Day hill. On his first-ever Opening Day start (April 14, 1910), the 22-year-old Johnson tossed a 3-0 one-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics. Sixteen years (and 13 Opening Day starts) later, a 38-year-old Johnson fulfilled his last Opening Day assignment with a 15-inning, complete-game, 1-0 win (6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts) over the A’s. Johnson holds the record for Opening Day pitching victories with nine (against five losses) and also threw a record seven Opening Day shutouts.Photo by The Library of Congress
AND FOR YOUR OPENING DAY VIEWING PLEASURE.
BECAUSE THIS KIND OF THING NEVER GETS OLD.
Primary Resources: MLB.com; Baseball-Reference.com.
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