Top 25 Opening Day performances of all time

Opening Day just might be the best day of the year, and it brings out the best in MLB stars all over the league.

Hall of Famer and 300-game winner Early Wynn said it best, “An opener is not like any other game. There’s that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one, you can’t lose ’em all.” There is truly something special about Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. Everyone begins the year 0-0 and with a hope that they can come out holding the World Series trophy at the end of the year.

There is a special excitement on Opening Day. Players are introduced and lined up, banners are hung, and the crowd brings an extra passion that is not there for any old July game. Players also play with an extra juice on Opening Day, and that has led to many epic performances on the first day of the season over the years. Here are the 25 best of all time.

25. Howard Taft throws out the first pitch

All the way back in 1910, big Howard Taft became the first sitting United States President to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Taft did the honors before the Washington Nationals played the Philadelphia A’s. He would throw out ceremonial first pitches to kick off the 1911 season, and sent his Vice President in 1912 while mourning the sinking of the Titanic. Presidential first pitches have become an integral part of Opening Day ever since.

The tradition of the President tossing a pitch as part of Opening Day has gone by the wayside in recent years. President Obama only threw on Opening Day in 2010, although he did make numerous other ceremonial pitches in his eight years in office. Sitting President Donald Trump threw out the first pitch to kick off the 2006 season at Fenway Park after helping to raise millions for the Jimmy Fund.

Trump will not participate in Opening Day this year, but chances are high that he will find a way to toss out a pitch at some point. Remember, everyone agrees, that 45 would have been drafted first overall were it not for the haters, losers (sad!), failing New York Times, and the bad feet that kept him out of the Vietnam War.

There wasn’t much worth remembering about the Taft years in the White House, but his first pitches helped create one of the best American sports traditions.