In Play Magazine
1928 Braves' pitcher Charlie Robertson has his glove removed from the game by umpire Moran after the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) complain the ball is acting strangely. The Boston hurler still manages to win, 3-2.
1929 With the Yankees rain out in New York, the Indians become the first team to wear numbers on the the back of their jerseys on a permanent basis. During the season opener, Cleveland rookie outfielder Earl Averill, most likely donning the digit #3, homers on an 0-2 pitch off Tigers' hurler Earl Whitehill to become the first American League player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.
1935 With the band playing Jingle Bells at Boston's Braves Field on snowy day with near freezing temperatures, Babe Ruth makes his National league debut as he homers and singles off Giants' legend Carl Hubbell. Although the Braves beat New York,4-2, the team will go on to win only 37 more games this season.
1938 The Cardinals deal a declining Dizzy Dean to the Cubs for pitchers Curt Davis and Clyde Shoun and $200,000.
1940 On a cool day at Comiskey Park, the White Sox team batting average does not change as Indian fireballer Bob Feller hurls an Opening Day no-hitter beating Chicago, 1-0. Each South-sider started and ended the game with a .000 BA.
1940 On Opening Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt's errant ceremonial first pitch smashes a Washington Post camera. The Chief Executive is not charged with a wild pitch as Red Sox hurler Lefty Grove blanks the Senators, 1-0.
1946 On Opening Day at the Polo Grounds, Mel Ott goes deep for the final time of his career. The Giants' legend hits his 511th career home run off Philadelphia A's left-hander Oscar Judd.
1946 Prior to the Senators 6-3 loss to the Red Sox at Griffith Stadium, Harry Truman becomes the first President to throw the ceremonial first pitch left-handed. On Opening Day in 1950, the southpaw commander-in-chief will toss two pitches, one left-handed and one right-handed.
1948 The future super station WGN-TV televises a baseball game for the first time. With Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play, the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-1 in the first game of the Windy City Classic played at Wrigley Field.
1953 In a Forbes Field contest in which Pittsburgh will prevail, 14-12, the Phillies score nine times and the Pirates tally six in the fifth inning tying the National League record as 15 batters cross home plate during the frame. Philadelphia’s second baseman Connie Ryan establishes a new team record with six hits, four singles and two doubles, in six at bats.
1957 Prior to the Phillies’ home opener, a statue of Connie Mack is dedicated as part of the Opening Day ceremonies. The eight-foot statue of the ‘Tall Tactician’, which depicts the A’s long-time owner and manager with one foot in the dugout and one foot on the top step of it waving his trademark scorecard to position his players, was created by well-known sculptor Harry Rosin.
1961 Beginning his historic home run chase of the Babe, Roger Maris finally connects for his first round tripper in the twelfth game of the season. The fifth-inning solo shot is off Tiger pitcher Paul Foytack.
1962 Both starting pitchers of the Connie Mack Stadium contest, Philadelphia’s Cal McLish and Bob Gibson of the Cardinals, both fail to finish a frame with each allowing six runs to score in the first inning. Ernie Broglio gets the victory tossing eight 1/3 innings of shutout ball in the Redbirds 12-6 victory over the Phillies.
1964 The Mets new home, Shea Stadium, is christened with Dodgers' Holy Water from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and Giants' Holy Water from the Harlem River at the location where it flowed passed the Polo Grounds.
1966 On the second day of the season, Jack Fischer gives up just five hits in his complete-game effort beating the Braves at Shea Stadium, 3-1. The win represents the Mets earliest victory in franchise history.
1972 On the second day of the season, Burt Hooton, making his his fourth career start, no-hits the Phillies at Wrigley Field , 4-0. The Cubs hurler becomes the 12th player in major league history to throw a no-hitter in his rookie season.
1978 Cardinal Bob Forsch no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0. Less than a year later, Bob's brother Ken of the Houston Astros will pitch a no-hitter against Atlanta making the siblings the only brothers to throw no-hitters in the big leagues.
1983 Setting a National League consecutive game-played record, Dodgers' first baseman Steve Garvey appears in his 1,118th straight game.
1984 In his first three at-bats, A's Dave Kingman hits three home runs, including a grand slam driving in eight runs against the Mariners in a 9-6 victory.
1988 The Braves establish a National League record for losses at the start of a season by losing their tenth consecutive game. With a 7-4 defeat to the Dodgers, Atlanta surpasses the mark, previously owned by four teams including the infamous 1919 Braves and the 1962 Mets.
1990 Kelly Gruber becomes the first Blue Jay to hit for the cycle in a 15-8 win against the Royals. His teammates buy him a tricycle in recognition of the accomplishment.
1997 Extending their losing streak to 12 with a 4-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies, the Cubs set the record for worst start in league history surpassing the overall National League record of 0-11 established by the Detroit Wolverines in 1884.
1999 Beating the Padres, 6-4, Colorado skipper Jim Leyland becomes the 45th manager to win a 1,000 games.
2000 Indian starter Chuck Finley, who was already the only pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning twice, does it for the third time as the southpaw strikes out Tom Evans, Royce Clayton, Chad Curtis (who takes first on a passed ball) and Rafael Palmeiro in the third inning; Finley beats the Rangers 2-1 with the help of back-to-back ninth-inning homers from Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome.
2006 Thanks to the outstanding pitching of Brett Meyers, and the Phillies bullpen, Philadelphia beats the Rockies, 1-0. It is the first time Colorado has lost a 1-0 game in the 10 years of playing at Coors Field.
2008 Kyle Kendrick, who posted a 10-4 and an ERA under 4.00 last season as a rookie, is stunned when he hears he has been apparently dealt to Japan for Takeru Kobayashi, a champion hot dog eater. The bogus trade, an elaborate hoax which includes skipper Charlie Manuel, assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr., fellow hurler Brett Myers and members of the media, totally 'punk'd' the Phillies sophomore pitcher.
