It was only fitting, perhaps, that the final Opening Day in old Yankee Stadium was rained out March 31, 2008, and postponed until April 1. Reggie Jackson threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Tuesday night game, George Steinbrenner was the first of 81 (sometimes) celebrities to advance the home games left counter from 81 to 80 in the fifth inning, and the Yanks prevailed 3-2 over Toronto in a scintillating pitchers’ duel between Roy Halladay and Chien-Ming Wang. That Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to preserve the win was not surprising, but two other things were: First, Melky Cabrera came through with a tying home run in the sixth inning; then, Jason Giambi contributed greatly to the winning rally in the seventh with a cunning baserunning move, diving to the ground to avoid a tag and then scrambling to second just in time to thwart a double play attempt that put Alex Rodriguez at third base with one out. DH Hideki Matsui delivered the run with a fielder’s choice ground ball.

With Gerrit Cole on the mound, the Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the second inning of their season (and home) opener on April 1, 2021, on a two-run home run by Gary Sanchez. But Toronto’s Teoscar Hernadez tied it up with a sixth-inning home run of his own, Even though young righty Nick Nelson struck out the side in the 10th, he took the 3-2 loss because a Randal Grichuk double scored the “ghost runner” placed on second base to start the frame. Appearing “virtually” from a field near his home, Bernie Williams delivered the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Starter Clarke Schmidt survived a two-hit top of the second against the visiting Giants in Yankee Stadium on April 1, 2023, by striking out three. But his luck ran out in the fourth, as Joc Pederson and Brandon Crawford homered for three, eclipsing the 2-0 lead the Yanks had taken, partly on a Giancarlo Stanton home run. Crawford would have three hits and three rbi’s and score twice in a 7-5 San Fran win. A ninth-inning Yankee rally featuring Aaron Judge‘s 500th career rbi was defused on a double play grounder, with the faithful further frustrated once a four-minute challenge of the call at second base was denied.

Getting a terrific year started that would unfortunately end badly off the field, Domingo German went five innings for the 3-1 win over Detroit in Yankee Stadium on April 1, 2019. Home runs by Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner in the second and fifth innings, respectively, carried the offense; German whiffed seven; and Chad Green, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Aroldis Chapman retired 12 of 15 batters to close out the win.

Bringing a long string of home Opening Day victories to an ugly halt, the visiting Red Sox crushed CC Sabathia and the Bombers 8-2 in Yankee Stadium on April 1, 2013. CC wasn’t hit hard but was hit often, surrendering four second-inning runs on two walks and four singles. “Sweet” Lou Piniella threw out the first pitch, and 2014 Yankee Jacoby Ellsbury had a good day for Boston. The center fielder had three hits and scored once, but not following a leadoff triple in the sixth. But his infield single in the ninth scored two runs in an ugly three-run uprising against Cody Eppley.

Perhaps not a “day that will go down in infamy,” but April 1, 1999, is the day George Steinbrenner lost his patience with Yankee starter Hideki Irabu after the burly righty failed to cover first in the last Spring Training game. The furious owner called Irabu “a fat puss-y toad.” The veteran righthander sadly took his own life a few years ago.

The glorious 1998 Yankee season began with a stumble as the Bombers succumbed to Chuck Finley and the Angels, 4-1, on April 1 of that year. New Yankee second sacker Chuck Knoblauch‘s first game for the Yanks was his 1,000th at second base, and he instantly took the lead in career fielding percentage in the American League for players who had appeared in that many contests at that position. It is perhaps ironic that Knoblauch would be a stellar offensive contributor in New York, particularly in the postseason, but would struggle in the field.

What could be more fun than attending the Yanks opener on the road?, we thought on the drive to Baltimore on April 1, 2002. And the Yanks sent reigning Cy Young winner Roger Clemens against Scott Erickson, struggling to recover from arm surgery. But David Segui‘s one-out hopper in the fourth glanced off Clemens’s pitching hand, the Rocket walked the next two, and Tony Batista blasted a grand slam to straightaway center on the next pitch in a 10-3 Orioles’ win.

On April 1, 2023, the Yankees designated center fielder Estevan Florial for assignment; and selected the contract of righthander Colten Brewer from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

On April 1, 2022, righthander Trevor Holloway and catcher Carlos Narvaez were assigned to the Yankees.

On April 1, 2019, the Yankees recalled outfielder Clint Frazier and infielder Tyler Wade from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, replacing Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar, each placed on the 10-day injured list, with, respectively, a left biceps strain, and a right shoulder strain.

On April 1, 2018, the Yankees recalled third baseman Miguel Andujar from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and placed outfielder Billy McKinney on the 10-day disabled list, with a left shoulder sprain. The team also signed two free agents to minor league contracts, center fielder Matt McPhearson, and infielder Nathaniel Coronado.

On April 1, 2017, lefthander Tyler Webb, a not-to-be-retained rule-5 selection, was returned to the Yankees from the Pirates.

The worst part of the Yankees’ decision to place righty starter Chien-Ming Wang on the 15-day disabled list on April 1, 2007, was not that he would be missing his Opening Day start the next day. Rather, it was that his strained right hamstring began a string of injuries to Yankee players, particularly starting pitchers, that would not subside for months. And the depth list on starters would take another hit immediately, as Jeff Karstens joined Wang on the DL right away. In other transactions, it came as no surprise that righties Jose Veras and Humberto Sanchez were also DL’d. And the Yanks reassigned southpaw reliever Ron Villone to minor league camp.

Timing is everything. The Yankees released first baseman Jorge Vazquez, a guy who had a couple of great Spring Training camps with them and who was a Caribbean Series MVP, on April 1, 2012, partially because he was blocked in his position by Mark Teixeira. Mark sat out the 2013 season with a wrist injury. New York also signed two free agents the same day: right fielder/DH Jack Cust and righty reliever Jason Bulger.

Some big decisions having been made, the final pieces of the 2014 Yankee infield were put into place, at least for the early part of the year, when the club placed shortstop Brendan Ryan on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 22, with an upper back injury; then designated shortstop Eduardo Nunez for assignment; and, finally, selected the contract of infielder Yangervis Solarte from the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

No “foolin’,” the Yankees signed free agent third baseman Josh Bell to a minor league contract on April 1, 2013.

April 1, 2005, was cleaning house day on the Yankees, as they optioned catcher Wil Nieves and righthander Scott Proctor to Triple-A Columbus; and reassigned southpaw Buddy Groom, infielder Damian Rolls, outfielder Colin Porter, catcher Joe Depastino, righty Aaron Small, and infielder Russ Johnson to minor league camp. Lefty Alex Graman was also released. Four from that list would play significant innings in the Bronx during the upcoming season.

One year later on April 1, 2006, Damian Rolls and Russ Johnson made the Coulmbus trip again, along with infielders Luis A. Gonzalez and Felix Escalona, and catcher Omir Santos. Also sent were pitchers Matt Smith, Matt Childers, Jose Veras, and Ramiro Mendoza. Three more hurlers, Aaron Small, Octavio Dotel, and Carl Pavano, were placed on the Disabled List to start the year.

In honor of his heroics in October 2003, we acknowledge Aaron Boone‘s ninth-inning sac fly that carried the Reds to a 5-4 win over the Cubs on April 1, 2002. We also salute Aaron now that he has retired after successfully, if for just a few games, coming back from heart surgery in 2009, and that he has taken over as Yankee manager in 2018.

On this day in 1969 young minor league outfielder Lou Piniella was traded to Kansas City by the Seattle Pilots for former Yankee outfielder Steve Whitaker. Lou wouldn’t don the Pinstripes for another five years. St. Louis traded southpaw Bob Shirley to the Reds for minor-league hurlers Jose Brito and Jeff Lahti on April 1, 1982. The rubber-armed lefty Shirley would be in the Yankee pen the following year. And George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss, who hit 27 homers and drove in 254 runs for the Yanks from 1943-1950, was traded from the Browns to the Indians on April 1, 1951.

There are a slew of other mentions of former or future Yankees in April 1 baseball history, leading off with one-time first base and bench coach and ex-All Star catcher Tony Pena, who was traded from St. Louis to Pittsburgh on April 1, 1987, for outfielder Andy Van Slyke, backstop Mike LaValliere, and pitcher Mike Dunne. On the same day, Doc Gooden of the Mets avoided suspension by agreeing to enter a drug rehab program, attempting to confront a problem that sadly dogs the now-retired righty to this day. One year earlier, future Yankee hurler Pascual Perez was one of four veteran pitchers the Braves opted to release. Also, former Yankee prospect Fred McGriff stroked three hits with four rbi’s in the first win in Tampa Bay Devil Rays history in an 11-8 victory over the Tigers on April 1, 1998. One year to the day earlier Rickey Henderson hit the middle shot of three consecutive home runs in an 11-run Padres inning during a 12-5 vanquishing of the Mets, tying a record for biggest offensive inning on Opening Day in the Twentieth Century in the process.

The last ex-Yank mention goes to Branch Rickey, who decided to leave Jackie Robinson on the roster of AAA Montreal on April 1, 1947, rather than bringing him to the parent club Brooklyn Dodgers. He would amend that decision nine days later.

We acknowledge the anniversary of the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on this day in 1938.

Way back on April 1, 1876, the Boston Red Caps of the newly formed National League won that league’s first game, 6-5 over a team from Philadelphia. The Red Caps franchise would, in succession, be named Bees, Rustlers, Doves, Beaneaters, then Boston, Milwaukee, and finally Atlanta Braves.

On April 1, 1989, A. Bartlett Giamatti replaced Peter Ueberroth as Major League Baseball Commissioner.

Umpire John McSherry collapsed and died of a heart attack only a few pitches into the home opener of the Cincinnati Reds on this day in 1996.

The Yanks and Indians were snowed out of their opener that same 1996 day in Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

 
Players Who Have Died This Day

Bizarro 2020 is the year the first New York AL “player” appears on the April 1 list of baseball deaths. Righthander Ed Farmer (2020) was a Yankee for all of two days once he arrived in a three-team trade on March 19, 1974. The Yankees sent Jerry Moses to Detroit, who then sent Jim Perry to Cleveland. The Indians sent Farmer, Rick Sawyer, and Walt “No Neck” Williams to New York. But on March 21, Farmer was purchased from the Yankees by the Phillies. Farmer traveled around, posting a 30-43 mark with 73 saves pitching three years each with the Indians, the White Sox, and the Philles, along with five other stops, from 1971 through 1983.

The list of three other notable major leaguers to pass this day includes a pitcher, an infielder, and an outfielder. Hall of Fame lefty Rube Waddell (1914) did most of his pitching from 1897-1910 with the Philadelphia Athletics; he posted a 193-143 record with five saves. Infielder Frankie Gustine (1991) hit 38 home runs with 480 rbi’s from 1939-1950, mostly with the Pirates; and outfielder Jo-Jo Moore (2001) played only for the Giants from 1930 through 1941, accumulating 79 long balls good for 513 runs driven in during that time.

 
Players Born This Day

Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who went 16-11 and 16-9 for the ’84 and ’85 Yanks, was born on April 1, 1939. The Yanks inked Niekro to a free-agent contract in January 1984, and signed him again two years later, but they released him before the 1986 season got underway. The career mark of the knuckleballer, primarily with the Braves, was 318-274.

Outfielder Larry Murray (1953) made his debut with the Yanks in 1974-1976, knocking in two runs and stealing a couple of bases in 20 games over those years. The Yankees selected Larry in the fifth round of the 1971 amateur draft, and he finished up with three years in Oakland once the Bombers traded him there along with Dock Ellis and Marty Perez for Mike Torrez in April 1977.

“Whistling Jake” Wade (1912) went 2-1 in 13 games for the 1946 Yanks, after they received him from the White Sox for Johnny Johnson in December 1944. Although that completes the list of guys who played for the Yanks, original Met “Hot Rod” Kanehl (1934) was a 1954 Yankee draft pick who made a stop in Cincinnati before playing in Flushing in 1962-1964.

Also born today: Dodgers reliever Ron Perranoski (1936), who was traded to the Dodgers for former Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer; Astros, Tigers, Rangers, but most famously Expos and Mets outfielder Rusty Staub (1944), known as “le grande orange” in French-speaking Montreal; All Star Cleveland outfielder Jeff Heath (1934), who smacked 194 dingers with 887 rbi’s and 56 steals from 1936-1945; Willie Montanez (1948); Mike Bacsik (1952); Rich Amaral (1962); Frank Castillo (1969), who hasn’t appeared in the bigs since his two years with the rival Red Sox came to a close in 2002, and who was contacted by the Yankees in the 2004 offseason; Masumi Kuwata (1968); Matt Herges (1970); Will Rhymes (1983); John Axford (1983); Daniel Murphy (1985); Alex Hassan (1988); Chris Withrow (1989); Cesar Puello (1991), who was signed by the Yanks as a free agent in December 2015, but released in November 2016, and who has four homers with 21 rbi’s through the ’20 season, with the Angels, Rays, Marlins, and Red Sox; David Dahl (1994); Keegan Akin (1995); Kutter Crawford (1996); Ryan Castellani (1996); and Jackson Rutledge (1999).