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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Oct 30, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Fans walk in front of Wrigley Field before game five of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Fans walk in front of Wrigley Field before game five of the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Tuffy Rhodes goes yard three times

To most, Tuffy Rhodes is a long-forgotten former MLB outfielder who scarcely enjoyed a cup of coffee in the big leagues. Rhodes hit only 13 home runs in parts of six seasons in the major leagues, but three of them came in one spectacular burst on Opening Day of the 1994 season. Rhodes went 4-for-4 that day with three bombs.

Rhodes was always thought to have great potential, but he could not put it together in the big leagues. He struggled to avoid distractions off the field in the minor leagues, and wound up playing in Japan at the age of 27 after batting .098/.156/.122 in the big leagues in 1997. That 1994 season would prove to be his longest run of time in the big leagues. He played 95 games that year with eight home runs.

Rhodes went on to dominate in Japan, hitting 464 home runs there with a .940 OPS in 13 seasons. He retired in 2009 at the age of 40, coming off a season with 22 home runs in only 84 games. In Japan, Rhodes is remembered for being one of the best foreign hitters to ever grace their league. In the USA, he is remembered for three bolts of lightning on Opening Day and heaps of unfulfilled promise.

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