5 Most Memorable Yankees Opening Day Moments

Opening Day has long been a source of memorable moments for teams across the league, including the New York Yankees.

As one of the few truly historic franchises in all of sports, New York has experienced remarkable Opening Days spanning every era of baseball.

Fans know the Big Apple for big-name acquisitions across all sports, and the Yankees lived up to that billing in the offseason before the 2018 campaign.

General manager Brian Cashman made a massive move to land outfielder Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins, dealing a couple of prospects and second baseman Starlin Castro to land one of the game's best sluggers. Excitement set the stage for Stanton on Opening Day, March 29, 2018.

Sometimes trades take some time to pay off, but that was not the case with Stanton. He immediately proved Cashman right by crushing a pair of home runs, the first of which came in his first at-bat for the Yankees.

Stanton finished the game with three hits, four RBIs, and three runs, a performance at the plate that would have been enough on its own to beat a one-run effort from the Blue Jays. New York ended the day with a 6-1 win.

Everyone loves good offensive baseball, and that is exactly what the Yankees provided to open the 2006 season on April 3. The lineup read like one from MLB: The Show, with Derek Jeter at shortstop, Alex Rodriguez at third base, Hideki Matsui in left field, and Robinson Canó at second base. 

The offensive firepower was on display right away. New York scored seven runs in the second inning, with four coming from a Rodriguez grand slam off pitcher Barry Zito. Matsui went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two walks, with Jeter adding a pair of hits and two RBI from the top of the order. If MLB had a mercy rule, it would have come into play, with New York destroying the Athletics 15-2. 

There are countless important debuts throughout New York's history, but Opening Day in 1996 might have seen the biggest of them all. After an offseason fraught with controversy and debate over his MLB readiness, shortstop Derek Jeter got his first start, hitting ninth to begin the season.

Any argument over Jeter's ability to play in the majors was shut down by the end of New York's first nine innings, when the shortstop hit a home run in the fifth inning. The rest of the lineup, which included third baseman Wade Boggs, put up nine hits and six runs, putting on some fireworks for Yankees fans who made the trip to Cleveland on April 2, 1996.

The good times kept rolling on the mound for New York. Starter David Cone worked seven scoreless frames, and three relievers combined to hold the Indians to a single run, allowing the Yankees to cruise to a 7-1 victory. 

The first iteration of Yankee Stadium was completed in time for the 1923 season opener on April 18, 1923, instantly becoming one of the premier sporting venues in the United States.

Breaking in the new stadium was a New York lineup that featured Babe Ruth in right field and Lawton Walter "Whitey" Witt in center field. It was a huge day for the city, the Yankees, and baseball as a sport, a day that needed to be marked by a standout performance from someone. 

Ruth, as he often did, delivered. He hammered a home run in the fourth inning, sending the ball into deep right field and the crowd into a frenzy. Ruth ended the day with three RBIs as the Yankees marched to a 4-1 win over their rival. 

New York had already won two World Series in a row by the time its April 17, 1951, season opener rolled around. The rival Red Sox were coming to town to stand in the way of the Yankees' third straight title run, but one of the most loaded lineups in baseball history was set to oppose Boston.

Mickey Mantle held down right field while Joe DiMaggio took center, and catcher Yogi Berra provided a Hall of Fame presence in the infield. Star power was not only present in New York's lineup, though, as Ted Williams played left field for the Sox to provide some punch to an otherwise lacking Boston order.

The result went about as everybody expected. Mantle, DiMaggio, and Berra combined for three hits and three RBI, leading the way for a 5-0 Yankees victory. Pitcher Vic Raschi tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing only six hits in the process. Fans could not ask for much more than a star-studded lineup, a dazzling pitching performance, and a win over their ultimate rival. 

It is no surprise that the Yankees have a long list of Opening Day moments. Even more impressive is that they span the better part of a century, ranging from Ruth and Mantle to Rodriguez. As one of the most consistent franchises in the MLB, the New York Yankees are almost certain to continue to add to its long list of remarkable Opening Day moments.