Fansided

Opening Day 2019: 5 historic performances of previous years

By David Salituro

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 28: A general view before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers during Opening Day at Miller Park on March 28, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 28: A general view before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers during Opening Day at Miller Park on March 28, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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(Original Caption) 4/12/1916-OPENING GAME OF THE NEW YORK AMERICANS AND THE WASHINGTON SENATORS. Photo shows Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators.
(Original Caption) 4/12/1916-OPENING GAME OF THE NEW YORK AMERICANS AND THE WASHINGTON SENATORS. Photo shows Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators. /

3) Walter Johnson, 1926

Walter Johnson, the “Big Train,” was making his 14th and final Opening Day start for the Washington Senators on April 13, 1926, in front of 25,000 at Washington’s Griffith Stadium. The 38-year-old Johnson didn’t disappoint, pitching 15 shutout innings as the Senators began the season with a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Athletics.

The powerful Athletics lineup featured future Hall of Famers like Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane. Their young roster was just three years away from dominating the American League, winning three straight pennants between 1929-1931. But they were no match for Johnson on this day.

Johnson gave up just six hits in 15 innings, striking out nine while walking three. Only four times did the Athletics even get a runner into scoring position. As great as the future Hall of Famer was, however, the Athletics starter Eddie Rommel matched him throughout the game.

Rommel also held the Senators scoreless into the 15th (incredibly striking out just one batter for the whole game). The only run of the game finally scored in the bottom half of the inning, when the Senators’ Joe Harris drove in Bucky Harris from third base with a single. The entire game took just two hours, 33 minutes to play.

Johnson, already in his 20th season in the big leagues, finished the year 15-16 with a 3.63 ERA as the Senators, winners of back-to-back AL pennants the previous two seasons, stumbled to fourth place. He played just one more year before retiring and would become a member of baseball’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1936.

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