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46 Days – Craig Kimbrel
Craig Kimbrel became the youngest reliever ever to reach 50 saves in a season last year, and the first of those came in the Braves’ opener at Turner Field. It was a 7-5 victory over the Phillies en route to an eventual National League East title, and it happened when the fireballing right-hander retired Jimmy Rollins (strikeout swinging), Chase Utley (popup to short) and Ryan Howard (fly to left) in order in front of 51,456 fans. Nearly a third of all Braves games would end with Kimbrel being congratulated this way:
A month later, Kimbrel would record his 100th career save . . .
With 139 saves already in the bank at age 25, Kimbrel is well on his way toward great things. How far can he go? Could he challenge Mariano Rivera’s record one day? It happens one year at a time, and Kimbrel and the Braves open the 2014 regular season March 31 at Milwaukee. Then the home opener at Turner Field is April 8 against the Mets.
Who should be No. 45 in our countdown? Pedro Martinez? Bob Gibson? Weigh in. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets
47 Days – Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, and his 305-win career also will be remembered for his share of Opening Day starts and success in that assignment. The left-hander made three of them for the Braves (going 2-1) and then another four for the Mets (3-1), and in his case you never forget your first.
On April 7, 1992, Glavine hurled a two-hit shutout for Atlanta at Houston, a 2-0 victory. He allowed a single to Steve Finley in the first, a single to Pete Incaviglia in the second, and no hits after that. How good was Glavine that day? He singled off Pete Harnisch in the top of the eighth and scored the only run that mattered, on Terry Pendleton’s sac fly. Ron Gant followed with an RBI double to finish the scoring, and Glavine would strike out four of the last six Astros and finish off the opener by inducing Jeff Bagwell to fly to center.
Glavine was coming off a Cy Young season, in the middle of a three-year run of 20-win seasons, and it was the dawn of a National League dynasty in Atlanta. The Braves were coming off their World Series loss to Minnesota in seven and bound for another World Series against Toronto that fall.
The defending National League East champions open the 2014 regular season March 31 at Milwaukee, and then the home opener at Turner Field is April 8 against the Mets. Who should be No. 46 in our countdown? MLB Schedule | Order Tickets
48 Days – Panda
Pablo Sandoval went 2-for-5 for the Giants at Arizona on April 6, 2012. Opening Day is all about beginnings, a stage for someone to create the performance of a lifetime, and for Panda and the Giants it was the beginning of something truly big. It began his 19-game hitting streak to start the season, breaking the Giants franchise record set by Johnny Rucker in 1945. It also was the beginning of a year in which Sandoval would have a huge All-Star Game triple and go on to World Series MVP, homering three times in Game 1 on the way to a Giants sweep at Detroit. It happened like this:
Sandoval will report to Scottsdale, Ariz., this month as a sleeker version of the player who last season batted .278 with 14 homers, 79 RBIs and 52 runs. He and the Giants open the season March 31 at Arizona, and one week later the teams meet again in the Giants’ home opener. Who should be No. 47? MLB Schedule | Order Tickets
49 Days – Louisiana Lightning
Ron Guidry made seven Opening Day starts for the Yankees, matching Whitey Ford and Mel Stottlemyre for most in franchise history. Interestingly enough, the first six resulted in losses for the Bronx Bombers, surely to the chagrin of owner George Steinbrenner back then. Finally, in 1986, Louisiana Lightning got the W in his seventh such assignment, a matchup against reigning world champion Kansas City and opposite starter Bud Black. Butch Wynegar’s three-run homer in the second was all Guidry needed, Rod Scurry had a huge hold over 2 1/3 innings, and Dave Rightetti preserved a 4-2 victory with the save for a crowd of 55,602.
Guidry wasn’t at his best physically over five innings during Game 1 of that personal 9-12 season, but he battled, overcame a two-run homer by Hal McRae in the fourth, and told reporters after the game, “If I have to pull a pitching staff through and be a force on the pitching staff, then I have to pitch.”
Sometimes Opening Day wins are curiously and confoundingly hard to come by for longtime aces, witnessed by CC Sabathia’s present run of Yankee openers, which would total six if he starts it in 2014. Even in Guidry’s debut of that majestic 25-win season of 1978, he finished with an unsatisfying result, dueling Jon Matlack in Texas but taking a non-decision when Goose Gossage gave up a ninth-inning homer to Richie Zisk. But looking back at ’78 now, all you remember is the greatness.
There were the 18 strikeouts one June night against the Angels . . .
There was the 25th win, an unforgettable one-game playoff at rival Boston . . .
And so much more for No. 49. More memories are on the way for Yankees fans. The Bronx Bombers open the season April 1 at Houston and then host Baltimore April 7 in the home opener. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets
50 Days – J.R. Richard
Houston won the 1980 National League West title by one game over the Dodgers, and for that one difference-making game, MLB.com’s Opening Day Countdown Down Under turns to that season opener on April 10 inside the Astrodome. J.R. Richard made his fifth consecutive Opening Day start for the Astros, and it was his finest. The 6-foot-8 right-hander struck out 13 and allowed just two hits — a single by Rudy Law and double by Reggie Smith, back-to-back in the seventh inning — over eight innings. Joe Sambito closed it, the game was over in 2:03, and a big year in Houston was under way.
At that point, James Rodney Richard was well on his way toward baseball immortality. He would dial up triple digits, at least based on tracking capabilities of the time. Opposing batters stood in fear, and Richard himself would say later that he “could throw a ball through a car wash and it wouldn’t get wet.” Joe Morgan, who played with him and against him, once said he believed Richard would go down as the greatest pitcher of them all. That Opening Day victory would lead to 10 wins in the first half of 1980 and not only his first All-Star selection, but the starting nod that July at Dodger Stadium.
Then it all ended. So swiftly, so sadly, leaving the legend of J.R. Richard to share with future generations. Richard knew something was not right in his arm. That July 30, while playing catch before a game, he suffered a stroke and collapsed. Richard was rushed to the hospital for surgery to remove a life-threatening blood clot in his neck, fortunately surviving but never to pitch again in the Majors.
Today, at age 63, Richard is a strong presence admired by many, having not only survived that condition but also subsequent financial collapse and homelessness, becoming a Christian minister and helping shape lives. In 2012, when the Astros celebrated their 50th anniversary, they naturally turned to No. 50 to celebrate the occasion, inducting him into their Walk of Fame. For many, it was a chance to close your eyes and think back to a rainbow day when big No. 50 took the mound and nearly no-hit the Dodgers.
Opening Day for the 2014 Astros is April 1 at home against the Yankees. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets
51 Days – Ichiro
When Ichiro Suzuki joined the Seattle Mariners after a career in Japan, there were questions about how well his game and his modest frame would translate in Major League Baseball. Well, Ichiro began answering those questions right away. In front of 45,911 Opening Day fans at Safeco Field on April 2, 2001, he made his debut and led off with a single up the middle in the seventh to start a comeback that would result in a 5-4 Seattle victory over Oakland.
Ichiro never stopped reaching base and drawing loud ovations, either. He finished that season with a rookie-record 242 hits, the most by any player since 1930. Take a look at the MLB.com video and there is one especially poignant scene now. He is greeted at first base by Jason Giambi, the first of so many of those first-base conversations Ichiro would have with players at that position. Fast-forward to 2014, and both stars are still in the game playing a role for American League contenders — Ichiro with the Yankees (as No. 31 now, because Bernie Williams was 51 in pinstripes) and Giambi with the Indians. 2014 MLB Schedule | Tickets
Grand Openings 