Fansided

Top 25 Opening Day performances of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies fans enjoy festivities outside the ballpark before a game between the Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies fans enjoy festivities outside the ballpark before a game between the Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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Photographic print of Walter Johnson working out before a game at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1915. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)
Photographic print of Walter Johnson working out before a game at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1915. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) /

11. Opening Day’s big winners

Opening Day is for aces, and that is not a new tradition. Dating back over one hundred years, every team starts the season by sending their best arm to the mound. Two pitchers stand out for winning the most starts on Opening Day in their careers — Walter Johnson and Grover Alexander. Johnson won nine starts on Opening Day for the Washington Senators, while Alexander won eight starts for a few different teams in the National League.

It should come as no surprise that Johnson and Alexander top this list. They were two of the most dominant pitchers of the Dead Ball Era. Johnson won 417 games in his career, including 36 in 1913 alone. He also led the league in strikeouts 12 times over the course of a 21-year career. Johnson also holds the record for highest Game Score by a pitcher on Opening Day — 111. He very well may have thrown a no-hitter in 1910, when the only hit he allowed came when his fielder tripped over a child sitting on the field (my, how times have changed). We will touch more on that game later.

Alexander won 373 games in the big leagues and five ERA titles. He also had three 30-win seasons, which have become all but impossible in today’s game. Alexander and Johnson are both in the Hall of Fame. Clayton Kershaw could approach Alexander’s record in the National League. He has four wins, and will start on Opening Day for the seventh straight year. The Dodgers have not lost an Opening Day when he starts.

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