Last year never feels more like ancient history than it does on Opening Day. Just consider the stuff that already has happened this year that never happened all last season:
First off, CC Sabathia is a category in this blog all to himself. Sabathia allowed 13 baserunners on Opening Day -- and had zero strikeouts. Not only did he have no games like that last season, he hadn't had a 13-baserunner, zero-strikeout game in any of his previous 124 starts, dating back to the only other 13/0 game of his career -- on May 5, 2005, against the Twins.
This was Sabathia's 255th start in the big leagues. As The New York Times' Tyler Kepner tells us, never once, in Sabathia's previous 254 starts for the Indians or Brewers, had he thrown two wild pitches in an inning. He then ripped off two WPs in his first inning as a Yankee.
Then there's Cliff Lee. He made 31 starts last season and never gave up seven runs in any of them. So of course, he allowed seven in his first start this season -- more than he gave up in his first seven starts combined in 2008.
Not coincidentally, the Indians lost on Opening Day, 9-1. They never lost any game Lee started last season by more than five runs -- and never lost a nine-inning game he started by more than two runs.
That sweet-swinging Cesar Izturis didn't hit a home run in his home park in any game he played for his past two teams, the Cardinals and Pirates. But naturally, he went deep in his first game at Camden Yards as an Oriole.
Adam Lind had a four-hit, six-RBI game for the Blue Jays on Opening Day. So how many Blue Jays had a game of at least four hits and six RBIs last season? That would be none. In fact, no Blue Jay had had a game like that since Carlos Delgado's four-homer game way back on Sept. 25, 2003.
In his first game as a Marlin, Emilio Bonifacio erupted for four hits, four runs, two RBIs and an inside-the-park homer. So how many Marlins had a four-hit, four-run, two-RBI game last season? None. And how many Marlins leadoff hitters have had a game like that in The House That Dan Marino Built? That, too, would be none. And how many Marlins leadoff hitters have had a four-hit, four-run, two-RBI game anywhere that included an inside-the-park homer? The correct answer: Nada. Pretty good debut.
In a related development, the Marlins got an inside-the-park homer (from Bonifacio) and a grand slam (from Hanley Ramirez) on Opening Day. Want to guess how many teams hit a slam and an inside-the-parker in any game last season? Yep. Not a one, according to the Sultan of Swat Stats, SABR's David Vincent.
On their way to the parade floats last season, the Phillies never had a game in which they were held to just two baserunners (or fewer) by any starting pitcher who went eight innings (or more). So was there any doubt that Derek Lowe would twirl eight innings of two-hit, no-walk baseball at them on Opening Day? Last time any right-handed pitcher did that against any Phillies team: Doug Drabek, on Aug. 3, 1990.
Adam Dunn and Junior Griffey both homered Monday on their first Opening Day as ex-Reds. Surprise, surprise: They never once homered on the same Opening Day in the seven openers they played with the Reds.
While we're on the subject, Griffey now has homered eight times in 45 at-bats in his 12 openers as a Mariner. He never hit any homers in 23 at-bats in his eight Opening Days as a Red.
And, finally, there's the amazing case of Felipe Lopez. He had never hit a home run from each side of the plate in any game in his 873-game big league career. Then he became the first player in history to switch-hit homers from both sides on Opening Day -- a historic feat that remained unmatched for exactly one inning, when Tony Clark became the second.
So why do we love baseball? Because it cranks out an endless supply of how'd-that-happen moments like these every darned year -- and, especially, every Opening Day.
Jayson Stark
