April 2

2019 – Returning to Washington, DC for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies this spring, Bryce Harper is welcomed with a very loud chorus of boos before each of his at-bats. He has the last laugh, however, as he collects 3 hits, including a massive 458-foot two-run homer off Jeremy Hellickson in the 8th, to lead the Phils to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.

2018 – Pitcher Miles Mikolas marks his return to Major League Baseball after three stellar seasons in Japan by hitting a two-run homer off Kyle Davies of the Brewers for his first career hit. He gives up 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings to lead the Cardinals to an 8 – 4 win.

The 2017 Major League Baseball season opens with three games. In the first of those, the Rays jump on Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for 7 runs in 2 2/3 innings, including homers by Evan Longoria and Logan Morrison to cruise to a 7-3 win. Chris Archer, who led the major in losses in 2016 with 19, starts off the year with a win.

Madison Bumgarner becomes the first pitcher to homer twice on opening day as he connects off Zack Greinke in the 5th and Andrew Chafin in the 7th. The Giants have a 5 – 4 lead over the Diamondbacks entering the bottom of the 9th, but with two outs and nobody on, newly signed closer Mark Melancon chokes, allowing a double to Jeff Mathis and three consecutive singles, the last by Chris Owings, as Arizona rallies for a 6 – 5 win.

2015 – The Diamondbacks trade P Trevor Cahill to Atlanta for minor league OF Josh Elander in a move designed to allow top prospect Archie Bradley to join Arizona’s starting rotation.

Rookie catcher Tony Sanchez, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 16th inning, singles in the winning run to end the 5-hour and 55-minute marathon, now the longest game in Pittsburgh history by time. The 4-3 victory over Chicago took six minutes longer to play than when the Bucs beat the Astros, 8-7, in an 18-inning contest played in 2006.

Yu Darvish flirts with perfection in his first start of the season for the Rangers, retiring the first 26 Astros batters he faces in succession before Marwin Gonzalez singles through the middle with two outs in the 9th. Having struck out 14 batters and with his pitch count at 111, Darvish is then removed from the game and reliever Michael Kirkman gets the game’s final out after allowing another single, to Jose Altuve. Texas wins, 7 – 0.

Madison Bumgarner of the Giants turns the table on the Dodgers, avenging the Opening Day shutout by Clayton Kershaw by pitching 8 scoreless innings of his own, giving up only two hits, as the Giants win, 3 – 0. Sergio Romo pitches a perfect 9th inning for the save, while South Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is a loser in his major league debut.

The Indians spoil Opening Day for the much-heralded revamped Blue Jays, scoring two runs off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in the 2nd inning, thanks to a pair of passed balls by C J.P. Arencibia, who has all kinds of trouble handling his new batterymate’s dancing pitches. Asdrubal Cabrera adds a two-run homer in the 5th for a 4 – 1 win at the Rogers Centre. Justin Masterson gets the win and Chris Perez the save.

Marwin Gonzalez’s two-out, ninth inning single, a hit that goes through the box between the pitcher’s legs, spoils Yu Darvish’s bid for a perfect game. The 26 year-old Ranger starter is removed from the Minute Maid Park contest after giving up the most extended hit and watches reliever Michael Kirkman close the Texas 7-0 victory over Houston.