At Safeco Field, Darren Lewis plays right field in Boston’s 2-0 victory over Seattle. The 32 year-old outfielder is the 13th different Red Sox player to start in that position on Opening Day for the past thirteen years.
Andres Galarraga hits a home run in his first game back after missing the entire 1999 season following cancer surgery as the Braves defeat the Rockies, 2 – 0.
A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games. Gabe Kapler becomes the first player to hit home runs in his first two at-bats in a Texas Rangers uniform and his teammate Ivan Rodriguez also hits a pair of homers in a 10 – 4 Texas victory against the Chicago White Sox. Vladimir Guerrero hits a pair of homers for the Montreal Expos but the Dodgers defeat Montreal, 10 – 4, behind Eric Karros’ grand slam. Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics hits two home runs against the Detroit Tigers. Despite Giambi’s effort, Detroit edges the Athletics, 7 – 4.
2000 – At Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers ties the Minnesota Twins’ Frank Viola for third place in consecutive home wins when he defeats the Chicago White Sox. Rogers has won 19 consecutive home games and hasn’t lost on his own turf since June 28, 1997, a span of 1,012 days. Ray Kremer of the Pittsburgh Piratesholds the record of 22 consecutive home wins in 1926 and 1927, and Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox is second with 20 straight home wins from 1938 to 1941.
Enron Field officially opens with a 6-5 exhibition win over the A.L. Champion New York Yankees, paralleling the feat that occured when the Astrodome opened in 1965. Daryle Ward’s two-run homer caps a four-run eighth-inning rally to open up the Astros’ new home in style.
At the Tokyo Dome, the New York Mets defeat the Chicago Cubs in 11 innings, 5 – 1, on Benny Agbayani’s pinch-hit grand slam. Rey Ordóñez commits an error in the game, ending his major league record streak of 101 consecutive errorless games at shortstop. With a swipe of second base, Rickey Henderson joins Ted Williams as the only major league players to steal a base in four different decades.
The Colorado Rockies sign American League stolen base champ Brian Hunter to a contract.
2000 – In Japan, the Chicago Cubs open the major league season at the Tokyo Dome by defeating the New York Mets, 5 – 3, in the first major league opening day ever played outside of the United States, Canada or Mexico. Jon Lieber gets the victory and Mike Hampton takes the loss. Shane Andrews, Mark Grace and Mike Piazza hit home runs in the game.
The Expos and Labatt announce the C$100M sponsorship deal, negotiated two years ago, will go forward as planned. The Brewery has committed to pay C$40M over the next twenty years for the naming rights to Montreal’s proposed downtown ballpark, and approximately another C$60M to be the team’s main sponsor, a role the company has played for the past 15 years.
2000 – The Philadelphia Phillies purchase second baseman Mickey Morandini from the Montreal Expos.
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