At Municipal Stadium, the recently arrived Athletics beat the Tigers, 6-2, in their first game in Kansas City. At first, the franchise’s shift from Philadelphia will be warmly received by the Missouri fans as the A’s draw 1,393,054 patrons to the ballpark in their first season, second only to the Yankees in American League attendance.
The Pittsburgh Pirates open at home for the first time in 61 years and defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 – 2, before 32,294 spectators. Curt Roberts, the Pirates’ first black player, hits a triple against Robin Roberts in the 1st inning.
Willie Mays, who missed nearly two seasons due to military service, homers in his first game back, a sixth-inning blast off Carl Erskine that will prove to be the difference in the Giants’ 4-3 Opening Day victory over Brooklyn. The 22 year-old center fielder’s prodigious poke may have traveled over 600 feet if it had not been impeded by the upper left-field stands at the Polo Grounds.
April 13, 1953 at Crosby Field – Ty Cobb, Al Simmons, Dizzy Dean, Cy Young. Connie Mack, Big Ed Walsh, and Rogers Hornsby. hornsby was managing the Reds at the time. They lost the opener 2-0 to Milwaukee and ended the season 68-86.
Apr 18, 1952 – In their home Opener before 29‚874 at Forbes Field‚ Pittsburgh’s Bob Friend shuts out the Reds‚ 5-0‚ on 5 hits. It is the 2nd win in a row for the Pirates‚ and they won’t have a winning streak longer than two games all season‚ a 20th century ML record low….
Stealing considerable thunder from Brooklyn’s victorious home opener, a 7 – 6, 12-inning triumph, Willie Mays makes the catch he’ll later call his greatest. The Associated Press reports: “Willie Mays, army-bound centerfielder of the New York Giants, astounded an opening day crowd of 31,032 fans at Ebbets Field with a sensational catch of a drive by Bobby Morgan in the 7th inning.” With two out, two on and the Dodgers down by one, “the sophomore star made a diving, sliding catch of a sinking liner near the left centerfield wall that robbed Morgan of a potential triple.” Unfortunately for Mays, Ebbets Field’s Little League dimensions afford little leeway for such hijinks. “I go and catch the ball in the air,” Mays recalls 45 years later. “I’m in the air, like this, parallel. I catch the ball, I hit the fence. Ebbets Field was so short that if you run anywhere you’re going to hit a fence. So I catch the fence, knock myself out.” “As he lay motionless,” reports the New York Times, “players of both sides rushed to his aid. All, that is, but the three Dodgers on the bases, who continued their wild dash for the plate, only to learn Willie had held on to the ball for the third out.” Willie’s impression is that the first player to reach his side has a somewhat less altruistic agenda. “The first guy that I saw – there were two guys – when I open my eyes, was Leo Durocher and Jackie Robinson. And I’m saying to myself, ‘Why is Jackie out here?’ Jackie came to see if I caught the ball, and Leo came to see about me.”
Nine days after firing the very popular General Douglas MacArthur from his post as Commander of the Far East, U.S. President Harry S. Truman throws out the ceremonial first pitch at the Senators’ home opener against New York at Griffith Stadium. The Air Force Band tries to drown out the boos from the crowd directed at the Commander in Chief by loudly playing “Ruffles and Flourishes” and “Hail to the Chief” during the pregame ceremonies.
At Fenway Park, Commissioner Happy Chandler gives Ted Williams his American League MVP Award, and then Governor Paul Dever tosses out the first ball. To the delight of 31,822 fans, Boston rips New York Yankees starter Allie Reynolds with a five-run 4th inning to drive him from the game and take a 9 – 0 lead. But the Yankees score four runs in the 6th off Mel Parnell and then, down 10 – 4, unload for nine runs in the 8th. Billy Martin becomes the first player in major league history to get two base hits in one inning in his first game. He doubles against Parnell in his first at-bat in the 8th inning, and then singles off Al Papai. Walt Masterson gives up Tommy Henrich’s second triple of the game before giving way to four more Boston pitchers. Boo Ferriss, pitching in his last game, allows the last two runs in the 9th inning as the Yankees chalk up a 15 – 10 victory, the biggest blown lead the Red Sox have ever had at Fenway Park; on June 4, 1989, they’ll blow a 10-run lead at home. Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Vern Stephens, and Bobby Doerreach have three hits. Don Johnson is the winning pitcher, his last victory for New York, with Joe Page pitching a perfect 8th and 9th innings in relief.
In front of 53,000 fans on Opening Day, Johnny Groth hits home runs in two of his first three at bats at Tiger Stadium. The 22 year-old rookie’s performance enables Hal Newhowser and Detroit to beat Chicago, 5-1.
On Opening Day, George Vico homers on the first pitch he ever sees in the major leagues, becoming only the fifth player to accomplish the feat. The home run, given up by White Sox hurler Joe Haynes, is the first of only a dozen the Tigers rookie first baseman collects in his brief two-year career.
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