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Dodgers: Opening Day Is Always One for the Ages

By Mike Margy

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 03: Prior to Opening Day game the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres stand during the national anthem at Dodger Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 03: Prior to Opening Day game the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres stand during the national anthem at Dodger Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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7 Apr 1998: Right fielder Raul Mondesi of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action during the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport /

1990s

The Dodgers went 6-4 in home openers in the 90s, highlighted by five straight Rookie of the Year Opening Day presentations from 1993-97: Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo Nomo and Todd Hollandsworth.

The decade began with Orel Hershiser outdueling Bruce Hurst in a 4-2 victory. Hubie Brooks went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead L.A.

After two years without reaching the playoffs, the addition of Darryl Strawberry in 1991 gave Dodger fans hope that another title was on the way. Strawberry went an unspectacular 0-for-4 in a 4-2 home opener loss.

1992 brought Eric Davis to the team to pair with Strawberry. This was our year! For about five seconds. The Dodgers finished dead last in the West with 99 losses.

The 1995 home opener was memorable only because it was time to finally exhale. The second half of the ’94 season, as well as the entire post-season, had been wiped out by a players’ strike. The ’95 season started three weeks later than normal, and the home opener wasn’t played until April 28.

Pedro Astacio was the Dodgers starter that day. He threw 4.2 innings, and the Dodgers beat the Braves, 9-1. Billy Ashley went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs.

1996 was one of those years where you entered Dodger Stadium knowing you were in for trouble. The World Series champion Atlanta Braves were in town, and future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine was on the mound. The Dodgers countered with their own ace, 1995 Rookie of the Year Nomo.

Raul Mondesi singled to right to score Brett Butler with two outs in the bottom of the third for the game’s only run. Glavine went seven innings, allowing the one run on five hits with nine strikeouts. Nomo did him one better: nine innings, three hits, six strikeouts.

And there isn’t an Opening Day that goes by that we don’t talk about the 1999 game, arguably the most exciting Opening Day in Dodger Stadium history. For those who were there, it still seems like only yesterday. The Dodgers were facing the Arizona Diamondbacks and future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, who would go on to win the first of his four straight Cy Young Awards that fall.

Leading, 2-1, entering the top of the sixth, Dodger starter Kevin Brown suddenly lost it. Bernard Gilkey hit a 1-2 pitch into the seats to lead off the inning. Five batters later, Jay Bell hit a three-run home run. Brown was gone, and things didn’t get much better.

Pedro Borbon then allowed a Matt Williams RBI single and, just like that, the Dodgers found themselves trailing, 6-2, with Johnson still mowing down batter after batter.

That’s when a horrific Opening Day became the greatest Opening Day ever. Trailing, 6-3, Mondesi hit a two-out 3-0 pitch just inside the left-field foul pole to tie the game. It was the loudest regular season cheer I had ever heard at Dodger Stadium. And it was about to get louder.

Jeff Shaw retired six straight batters in the 10th and 11th innings, and when Gary Sheffield drew a two-out walk to bring up Mondesi again, this happened. And that then became the loudest regular season moment I had ever heard at Dodger Stadium.

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