As first pitch is just hours away, here are some memorable opening day performances, some by notable players and some not.

Included is Raul Mondesi’s 1999 monster game (for which the card at left was issued) and lots more. Have some fun with a tour down opening day memory lane.

Let’s start with the hitters. Here are the games with the most of different hitting stats.

Notice the gap of almost 40 years between Nellie Fox and Jeff Kent. Nellie’s game was a wild 14-inning affair with both teams having 20+ players in the box score. The Sox scored 4 in the 7th to take a 7-4 lead, with 3 runs scoring on a two-out, 3 run fielding error by left-fielder Larry Doby (who was replaced defensively to start the 9th inning). But, the Tigers tied the game in the 8th on a two-out, 3 run, pinch-hit HR by Charlie Maxwell off of Ray Moore. No further scoring until Nellie Fox connected on a 2-run HR in the 14th off Don Mossi, working his 4th inning in relief.

The only other opening day game with both teams fielding 20+ players was this 1995 contest between the Mets and Rockies, won 11-9 by Colorado in the inaugural game at Coors field. Like its 1959 predecessor, the two teams in this game went 14 innings in 4 hours plus, while fielding a combined 43 players. Three times the Mets were three outs away from victory, scoring go-ahead singletons in the 9th, 13th and 14th innings, only to squander the lead each time, and ultimately the game. The Rockies came back with tying RBI doubles by Larry Walker off John Franco in the 9th, and Jim Tatum pinch-hitting off Mike Remlinger in the 13th. Remlinger was still still in the game to surrender a walk-off 3-run HR to Dante Bichette in the 14th.  Also featured was a 6th inning sacrifice fly double play (!) with the bases loaded and nobody out, when Vinny Castilla was caught too far off 3rd base after Mike Kingery had scored ahead of him.

Here are the opening day games with the most extra-base hits.

There were 7 NL players with 20 HR, 20 doubles and 95 RBI in both 1953 and 1954. Six were Duke Snider, Stan Musial, Eddie Mathews, Ted Kluszewski, Gil Hodges and Del Ennis. If you guessed that the 7th was Jim Greengrass, you have me beat. Greengrass’s career totals outside of those two seasons: 33 doubles, 22 HR, 87 RBI. His 4 double game on opening day 1954 was one of only four 4 hit games in his career, 3 of them featuring 2 or more extra-base hits.

Bubbles Hargrave’s 2-triple game was one of 4 in his career, tied with Bill Dickey and Mickey Cochrane for the most among catchers.

Don Baylor’s game of 4 extra-base hits is one of only two opening day games with a double, triple and HR. The other was this 1937 game by Gee Walker, the only opening day cycle.

Tuffy Rhodes’ 3 homers on opening day 1994 were among just 13 for his career, the 3rd lowest career total among players with a 3+ HR game since 1916. Merv Connors (8) and Bill Glynn (10) are the only players with lower career totals.

For overall influence on game outcome, here are the top 10 WPA scores in an opening day game.

Raul Mondesi tops this list with a game featuring 6 RBI, all coming with two outs. His two home runs were a 3 run blast off Gregg Olson to tie the game in the 9th, and a 2 run shot off John Frascatore for the walk-off win in the 11th.

Jim Presley had a similar game to Mondesi’s with a 2-run HR to tie the game in the 9th and a walk-off grand slam with 2 outs in the 10th.

Pete Rose makes this list, primarily for two plays: a 2-out RBI double to tie the game in the 9th; and for scoring the winning run from 2nd base on an 11th inning wild pitch.

Ken Caminiti was wearing a 0 for 5 collar until delivering a 12th inning walk-off HR for the Astros in 1994. Despite his 3 earlier hits, Ramon Hernandez logged nearly all his WPA from a walk-off 3-run home run off John Axford.

“Wonderful” Willie Smith’s pinch-hit heroics for the Cubs easily tops the list of opening day WPA scores for players appearing only as a pinch-hitter. Second is Geno Petralli’s 8th inning 3-run pinch-hit HR for the Rangers against the Mariners in 1992, good for a 0.589 WPA, almost 200 points behind Smith. Also in the top 10 are Jim Tatum (1995) and Charlie Maxwell (1959), both described above, as well as Chuck Essegian delivering the winning tally for the Dodgers in Don Drysdale’s 14-strikeout game in 1960 (see below).

As well as this top 10 list, Kirk Gibson also places in the top 10 in post-season WPA, where he ranked first for his 1988 WS heroics, until eclipsed by David Freese in 2011.

Now, some opening day pitching feats.

Feller’s 1940 no-hitter as a 21 year-old marks the 4th youngest age to throw a no-no since 1916. Younger no-hit games were turned in by Mike McCormick (1959), Vida Blue (1970) and Wilson Alvarez (1991). Since Bob Lemon’s one-hitter on opening day 1953, ten pitchers have turned in 2-hit performances to start the season, including Ben Sheets in 2007, the only one to do so in the past twenty seasons.

So, hands up, how many would have guessed Camilo Pascual as the leader in opening day strikeouts? Not me, for one. Interesting that two opening day games from the same season are among the top strikeout games and that those games were six days apart (?). Guess you had to be there. Also notable that Randy Johnson was relieved in each of his two games here, and that the larger of his batters faced in these two games matches the batters that Don Drysdale did not strike out in his outing.

Walter Johnson’s 1926 shutout came as a 38 year-old, the 3rd oldest starter since 1916 to pitch 15+ innings, behind only George McConnell in 1916, and Warren Spahn‘s memorable 16-inning duel with Juan Marichal as a 42 year-old in 1963. Johnson is the only one of these three to win his marathon. Bob Veale’s 95 game score on opening day 1965 was one of his six career games over 90, all in the 1963 to 1966 period, trailing only Sandy Koufax (12), Jim Maloney (8) and Jim Bunning (8) over that 4-year stretch.

Other tidbits.

• 56 pitchers have had an opening day complete game in which they walked none. Of these games, Ben Sheets (2007), Lefty Grove (1940) and Wes Ferrell (1935) allowed the fewest hits with just two. The most hits allowed: 12 by Clyde Passeau (1941) and Watty Clark (1933), who both won their games.
• The above 56 games include three in which the pitcher also struck out nobody, by Lee Meadows (1917), Wes Ferrell (1935) and Mike Caldwell (1979). Since 1995, Joel Pineiro is the only pitcher with a zero walk, zero strikeout complete game, turning the trick for the Mariners against the Twins in 2006.
• The most hits allowed in any opening day win: 17 by Oral Hildebrand in a 15-10 win for the Browns over the White Sox in 1937. Hildebrand’s 11 game score in that game is also the lowest in any opening day win.
• Of the 24 times an opening day starter has won while allowing 12 or more hits, only two have occurred in the expansion era: Mel Stottlemyre allowing 14 hits in 1969, and Jack Morris with 12 (in only 7 IP) in 1986.

What opening day heroics do you remember?