36 Days – Robin Roberts

Robin RobertsGaylord Perry? Jim Kaat? Jered Weaver? Jerry Koosman? There are so many choices for this day in the Opening Day Countdown Down Under as we mark the time left until Major League Baseball begins its regular season on March 22 in Sydney, Australia. But when you hold the Major League record for consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team at 12, this is your place.

Robin Roberts started for the Phillies on April 18, 1950, in front of 29,074 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Facing the defending National League champs from Brooklyn, the right-hander from Springfield, Ill., didn’t let a Dodger past first base until the seventh inning, and by then the Phillies had an 8-0 lead. Roberts went on to the first of 21 complete games that season, and that was just the beginning. He also went on to his first of six straight 20-win seasons, his first of seven straight All-Star selections, and led that group of young Phillies known affectionately as the “Whiz Kids” to their first World Series in 35 years, ultimately swept by the Yankees that fall.

Roberts also beat the Dodgers the next Opening Day, so little wonder then that the Phillies kept a good thing going. The greatest righty in Phillies history would start every Opening Day after that through the 1961 season (5-6 with one no-decision in those outings), so a generation of fans knew it was officially Baseball Season when No. 36 made his first appearance. Roberts dominated on the hill with two pitches, fastball and curve, and a smooth and efficient motion with a penchant for finishing what he started. He passed away in May 2010 at the age of 83 as a beloved Hall of Famer, and he left a legacy that included Opening Day personification.

Don Newcombe was the Dodgers’ opposing pitcher that day in 1950 at Shibe, and he said it was “a pleasure to pitch” and always braced for a “battle” against Roberts for so many games in their careers. Watch:

Here is a video look back at Roberts’ career:

Robin RobertsThe 2014 Phillies open the regular season March 31 at Texas and then host Milwaukee on April 7 in the home opener at Citizens Bank Park. Who should follow Roberts at 35 Days in our countdown? Keep coming back as we add a new Opening Day moment each midnight ET on the way to Sydney and plan for your season at the ballpark. MLB Schedule | Tickets

37 Days – Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg

It remains to be seen if Stephen Strasburg will be the Nationals‘ Opening Day starting pitcher for the third year in a row when they start the season March 31 at Citi Field, given a strong rotation that also includes returning 19-game-winner Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez (21-8 two years ago) and newcomer Doug Fister. But he has a good track record for that assignment so far and the Nationals are 2-0 when he gets the season going amidst pomp and circumstance.

2012: While perhaps nothing can compare to his 2010 Major League debut for pure anticipation and satisfaction (14 strikeouts), Strasburg, pictured above on that day, generated big excitement by returning from Tommy John surgery to start the season at Chicago. He scattered five hits over seven innings, dinged only by a Marlon Byrd RBI single and getting a no-decision in a 2-1 Nats win, on the way to a 15-win season that had to be shut down early due to pitch count.

Washington Nationals v Miami Marlins2013: In front of 45,274 at Nationals Park, Strasburg threw seven scoreless (three hits) and got two Bryce Harper homers for a 2-0 victory over the Marlins. Strasburg retired 19 in a row during that outing, and probably could have gone longer, but then-manager Davey Johnson wasn’t taking chances at that point.

“I felt great after seven inning,” Strasburg said after earning the W to match the curly one on his cap. “If it wasn’t Opening Day and the first start of the year, it would have been a different story.”

Who should be No. 36 in our countdown? State your case in the comments below, as there are a lot of legends who wore that one on Opening Day. Keep coming back as we add a new Opening Day moment each midnight ET on the way to March 22 in Sydney, join us with your own posts at MLB.com/blogs, and plan for your season at the ballpark. MLB Schedule | Tickets

38 Days – Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling started seven Opening Days, five with the Phillies and then two more later to end his career with Boston. He was at his absolute best in consecutive road openers for the Phillies from 1997-98 — not coincidentally his first two All-Star seasons — combining in those two season debuts for 16 shutout innings, four hits and 20 strikeouts. Let’s take a closer look at both:

April 1, 1997: That Phillies club opened with a 3-0 victory over the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, Schilling’s greatest Opening Day effort. The only ball hit by Los Angeles in the air out of the infield was a lineout to left by Todd Zeile in the fifth inning. The two hits were grounders that got through. Ricky Bottalico closed it, 1-2-3. The 11 strikeouts by Schilling sent him well on his way to a season total of 319, and you can watch two videos here as he reached 300 for the first time and then set the National League record for most strikeouts by a right-hander in a season:

March 31, 1998: You’ll never forget this one if you were a fan of either the Phillies or the Mets that season. Schilling again went eight scoreless, this time striking out nine, locked in a duel with Bobby Jones (6 IP) and the Mets’ bullpen. This time, Schilling was long gone when the game was decided. It was still 0-0 in the bottom of the 14th when Alberto Castillo delivered a pinch-single to right off Bottalico to score Brian McRae.

Later that season, Schilling reached 300 strikeouts for the second year in a row, and you can watch that one as well as he throws gas by Kevin Orie of the Marlins:

Curt SchillingSchilling made his final Opening Day start in 2007 at the age of 40, taking the loss opposite Gil Meche at Kansas City, but he would end the year in a style, getting the W in his finale. It happened to be Game 2 at Fenway Park during the Red Sox’ sweep of Colorado for a world championship on the way out.

The Countdown crew sends our best wishes to the Schilling family as he takes that same Opening Day bulldog mentality into his current fight against cancer that he made public last week. “I’ll embrace this fight, just like the rest of them,” Schilling said, “with resolute faith and head on.” He underwent surgery on Monday, according to his daughter Gabby, who tweeted that it “went really well” and that he is in recovery.

39 Days – The Cobra

Dave Parker

In 1978, Dave Parker won his second consecutive National League batting title with a .334 average, finishing with a league-best .979 OPS and 340 total bases. He was named Most Valuable Player and earned his second straight Gold Glove.

Dave ParkerIt all began that April 7 when Parker and the Pirates opened the season at Three Rivers Stadium in front of 39,028 fans, back in the days of the charming pillbox cap. Willie Stargell drove in the only run of the game, John Candelaria, pitched a shutout, and the Pirates were off. Parker doubled and drew the first of his NL-leading 23 intentional walks.

Something special was in the works in Pittsburgh. Those ’78 Pirates would finish 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia in the National League East, but the next year was the most recent World Series title in Pittsburgh. The Cobra would play a key role that year as well, one of 19 seasons he spent in the Majors (ultimately winning a second ring with Oakland in ’89). He batted .310 for the ’79 champs, and here you can see what kind of cannon he possessed in right field, a reason many considered Parker the best player in the game at that time:

Will the 2014 Pirates take the next step and make a serious bid for their first World Series since that ’79 club? They will open the season March 31 at home against the Cubs — the same city and opponent as it was in ’78 when a big right fielder began establishing himself as one of a kind. These Pirates begin with a reigning NL MVP outfielder of their own in Andrew McCutchen, and after finally returning to the postseason last fall, Clint Hurdle’s Bucs are hoping to take the next step.

Who should be No. 38 in our countdown? Suggest away in the comments below as we keep marking the days on the way to the MLB Opening Series in Sydney, which paves the way for all the openers. See every team’s Spring Training preview on MLB.com, and establish your own routine now as a fan. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

40 Days – Rick Sutcliffe

Sutcliffe

Rick SutcliffeCamden Yards changed the game in Major League Baseball, ushering in an era of retro-modern ballparks and ultimately transforming most of today’s venues. So for Opening Day claims to fame, Rick Sutcliffe could simply point to April 6, 1992, when he followed up President George H.W. Bush’s ceremonial first by pitch by throwing the first real pitch in the history of the Orioles’ current home — on the way to a 2-0 shutout against Cleveland. Let’s start with a quick remembrance of that outing to equip you with a potential trivia stumper for your friends, complete with a look at his ’92 Opening Day delivery pictured here and the video below:

Of course, we’re here for more than trivia assistance. The Opening Day Countdown Down Under wayback machine is celebrating the essence of Opening Day through the jersey numbers of yore, and we’re going a little more old-school than that for No. 40.

Rick SutcliffeThis one’s for Cubbie fans.

When you think of Sutcliffe, who made nine overall Opening Day starts in his career, you probably think of the right-hander (and current broadcaster) who wore No. 40 for Chicago and so often walked off the mound after the top of the seventh to segue into Harry Caray’s rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” up in the press box. It was a way of life, as sure as Cubs on WGN, and Sutcliffe started each Opening Day for the Cubs from 1985-89.

Take a close look at April 9, 1985. There were still no lights at Wrigley Field then (not until ’88). Sutcliffe was the man in the NL. In ’84, he had come over to Chicago in a seven-player trade from Cleveland that sent Joe Carter to the Tribe, and Sutcliffe had promptly gone an unconscious 16-1 to lead the Cubs to within one win of a World Series berth. Sutcliffe, 20-6 overall that season and the NL Cy Young Award winner, even had knocked one out of the entire ballpark to help his own cause against San Diego in that National League Championship Series, as you can see in this MLB.com video:

Now it was his first Opening Day as a Cub, and Sutcliffe did not disappoint the capacity crowd in the Friendly Confines. He nursed a 2-0 lead over the Pirates into the eighth inning, finally tiring and being replaced by Lee Smith after giving up a Jason Thompson RBI single. Big Lee closed the deal, and it was a happy opener at Wrigley.

The 2014 Cubs open the season March 31 at Pittsburgh, and their home opener is April 4 against the Phillies. Who should be No. 39 in our countdown? Suggest away in the comments below. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

41 Days – Tom Seaver

“Where can you start?” Tom Seaver asked at the beginning of his 1992 Hall of Fame Induction speech, and we will of course start on Opening Day. He holds the all-time record with 16 Opening Day starts, going 6-0 with five no-decisions for the Mets, 0-1 with two no-decisions for the Reds and 1-1 for the White Sox. In 1983, Seaver returned to his original club in Queens and that day tied Walter Johnson’s record of 14 such assignments, another affirmation of Tom Terrific’s place in history.

If there is one Seaver Opening Day memory, you probably would get a wide range of answers from fans of that generation who still tell the stories today. Seaver was Opening Day. For the Opening Day Countdown Down Under, we are going to honor No. 41 on 41 days till Sydney by remembering a three-year stretch from 1973-75 that always featured future Hall of Famers Steve Carlton vs. Seaver — a Lefty vs. Righty tradition of Cy Young aces.

Tom SeaverIn ’73, when Carlton was coming off a Cy season, Seaver got the better, throwing 7 2/3 scoreless innings and backed by two Cleon Jones homers in a 3-0 Mets win, en route to an eventual National League pennant for the Amazins and the Cy for Seaver. In ’74, what would have been a three-year winning streak for Seaver vs. the Phillies on Opening Day was ruined at Philadelphia when Tug McGraw blew the save and Mike Schmidt hit a two-run walk-off shot. Then came the rubber game of the match in ’75, another Cy season for Seaver.

It was a classic duel, both starters going the distance. Carlton gave up four hits — including a solo homer by Dave Kingman in his Mets debut — and struck out six. Seaver scattered six hits and struck out nine. Each had given up a single run entering the bottom of the ninth. Carlton gave up a leadoff single to Felix Millan and then walked John Milner. That brought up cleanup man Joe Torre, who also was making his first Mets appearance after being acquired from St. Louis in a trade for Tommy Moore and Ray Sadecki. Torre’s walk-off single made him an instant New York favorite (and a portent for future popularity in the Big Apple), and helped further Seaver’s reputation as the guy who usually got it started the right way in a baseball season.

During that stretch from 1968-77, Seaver started every Opening Day for the Mets. It is how life always began back then, and new traditions are established by generations along the way. The 2014 Mets open the season March 31 at Citi Field against Washington. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

42 Days – Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

With a respectful tip of the cap to the great Mariano Rivera, today’s jersey selection for an Opening Day moment is the easiest choice of our entire daily series in the countdown to Major League Baseball’s Opening Series March 22-23 in Sydney, Australia — a countdown that started 51 days out with Ichiro Suzuki.

Jackie Robinson‘s number 42 is displayed at all 30 MLB parks as testament to what happened at Ebbets Field on Opening Day in 1947. At the request of Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey, Robinson agreed to take on the monumental task of enduring racial abuse and becoming the first African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated.

In taking his position at first base that day, Robinson pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America and played a major role in the coming Civil Rights movement. It was far more than a ceremonial Opening Day action, too. Robinson scored what proved to be the decisive run in that debut, a 5-3 Dodgers victory over the Braves, after reaching on an error his fourth time up against Johnny Sain. Beyond that, Robinson would Jackie Robinsonbecome the National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he would be chosen as the NL’s Most Valuable Player and also would win the batting title with a .342 average. He would go on to the Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson Hall of Fame PlaqueIn 1997, to mark the 50th anniversary of that fabled Opening Day, MLB announced that no player would wear No. 42 in The Show again. The only exceptions were granted to those still active with the jersey, including a pair of Mo’s, Vaughn and Rivera, who would retire in order. The only exception starting in 2014 will be on Jackie Robinson Day itself, when all players wear No. 42 in tribute. The story was told again last year in a major motion picture, “42,” and here’s hoping the story of an American legend will be told to each generation in the future and never forgotten nor taken for granted.

The 2014 Dodgers open the season in Sydney as the road team against Arizona, with the first game at 4 a.m. ET on March 22 and the second game at 10 p.m. ET that same day. Who should be No. 41 in our countdown? Check back and see. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

43 Days – Eck

Dennis EckersleyEveryone knows what happened when Dennis Eckersley met Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series. But for Eckersley, the first regular season appearance after that was truthfully more defining in a Hall of Fame career.

Flash back to April 3, 1989, Seattle at Oakland in front of 46,163 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, as it was named then. Mark McGwire’s three-run homer in the first had given Dave Stewart an early lead, and Tony La Russa’s A’s were clinging to a 3-2 lead entering the ninth. Enter the Eck. The right-hander got Jeffrey Leonard to ground out to third, Greg Briley to fly out to left and Dave Valle to fly out to right. Back to business as usual.

It was the first of 51 appearances that season for Oakland, resulting in 33 saves and one of his three top-5 American League Most Valuable Player finishes, and an 0.607 WHIP that would be the lowest in a 24-year Hall of Fame career. Most importantly, that Opening Day set in motion the A’s last World Series title — a sweep of the Giants in the earthquake-marred Bay Bridge Series — and Eckersley’s only world champion ring.

In fact, Eck’s recovery from the Miracle Homer of ’88 was so complete and satisfying, he even covered first base to record the final putout of ’89, finishing with his trademark roundhouse air-punch:

Eckersley made two Opening Day starts for Cleveland (1976-77) and five for Boston (1979-83). Do people ask him every year about his pitch sequence to Gibson? Yes. Should people watch these videos to remind themselves why the Miracle Homer meant the significance of a mosquito on an elephant to an MLB legend in the long haul? Yes.

Oakland opens its 2014 season at home March 31 against Cleveland. Who should be No. 42? Jackie Robinson or Mariano Rivera? Check back and see. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

44 Days – Hammerin’ Hank

HANK AARON

Now that we’ve just celebrated Hank Aaron’s 80th birthday, don’t go anywhere. We are going to keep celebrating No. 44. This season will mark the 40th anniversary of the year Hammerin’ Hank quickly tied and passed Babe Ruth’s iconic home run record, on his way to 755 career homers and baseball immortality.

Aaron wasted no time in 1974, tying Ruth in his first at-bat of Opening Day at Riverfront Park in Cincinnati on April 4. It was the only game scheduled that day, as the Reds had the honor of opening first, a day before others. On a 3-and-1 pitch from Reds starter Jack Billingham, with two runners on, Aaron drove a shot over the head of left fielder Pete Rose and toward the bunting in left-center, beyond the wall for No. 714. In the photo above, that’s future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench behind the plate and four-time World Series umpire Ed Vargo, both eyeing the flight of the historic ball. Watch:

Hank Aaron“I’m just glad it’s almost over with,” Aaron quipped when given the microphone to say a few words to the crowd after an on-field presentation. Amid the laughter in the ballpark at that time, few could possibly know exactly how much Aaron meant what he said. He would break Ruth’s record two games later back home in Atlanta, and the world would learn what degree of hate this former Negro Leaguer from Mobile, Ala., had endured behind the scenes on the way to professional sport’s greatest individual record — through piles of mail filled with threats and racial slurs. Aaron rose above it, having a profound impact on new generations that goes on today, and he plays a part in every World Series with his presentation of the Hank Aaron Award for the top offensive performers in each league.

“It’s a great thing to be the man who hit the most home run, but it’s a greater thing to be the man who did the most with the home runs he hit,” Aaron said later in his biography “I Had A Hammer.” “So as long as there’s a chance that maybe I can hammer out a little justice now and then, or a little opportunity here and there, I intend to do as I always have — keep swinging.”

The 2014 Braves open the regular season March 31 at Milwaukee, and their home opener is April 8 against the Mets. Who should be No. 43 in our countdown? Offer your suggestions in the comments below and make plans to see some games. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets

45 Days – Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson

April 12, 1965, was historic in Major League Baseball for one reason: It was the first National League game at the Astrodome, a Houston victory over the Phillies that ushered in a new era in sports architecture.

Perhaps you also could cite Bob Gibson‘s Opening Day start at Wrigley Field on that day, because it was the first such assignment in the Hall of Famer’s glorious career. Actually, though, it was not exactly how Gibson had imagined it. He was staked to a 5-0 lead by the Cardinals in the top of the first, then proceeded to exit after 3 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs. The Cardinals and the Cubs would play to a 10-10 tie, in the days when there were no lights at the Friendly Confines.

Bob GibsonSo let’s just move on to the one Bob Gibson Opening Day appearance we really want to talk about: 1967. First of all, a small proviso: choosing Gibby at No. 45 was not an automatic nod, at least not East of the Arch. Pedro Martinez started every Opening Day for Boston from 1998-2004, and his debut after coming over from Montreal was a thing of beauty, going seven scoreless and whiffing 11 A’s. Tug McGraw wore it well in Philly, and we recall John Candelaria’s 1978 shutout for Pittsburgh. This whole Opening Day Countdown Down Under exercise is about to get tougher with each passing day, another reason I hope you will feel free to speak up with suggestions in the comments.

Now flash back to April 11, 1967. Gibson and fellow future Hall of Famer Juan Marichal of the Giants started in front of 38,117 at Busch Stadium. Gibson struck out 13 Giants, walked none and scattered five hits in a 6-0 shutout, and remember that a couple of Willies named Mays and McCovey were on the other side, combining to go 0-for-8 with four K’s.

It was the first in a perfect pair of 1967 bookends for the great right-hander. Gibson began the year with that dominating effort, and he ended it by being named World Series Most Valuable Player following his third complete-game victory (pictured at right) over Boston in the Fall Classic, a three-hitter in Game 7 for “El Birdos.” Here are videos below of Gibson homering to give himself a 3-0 lead in the clincher, and striking out George Scott for the clincher:

Gibson went to that year’s All-Star Game as a 10-game winner, missed a big chunk of the second half after taking a Roberto Clemente line drive off the right leg, and set the stage for his nonpareil 1968 season (1.12 ERA) to follow. Gibson made 10 Opening Day starts for the Cardinals from 1965-75, yielding only to lefty Curt Simmons for the ’66 honor, and in later years the spectacle of returning legends like Gibson in red sportcoats, introduced again amongst Clydesdales and bunting, became a traditional reason to go to a season debut at Busch:

The 2014 Cardinals follow up their National League pennant-winning season by opening at Cincinnati on March 31 and then starting the home schedule against the Reds on April 7. MLB Schedule | Order Tickets