Opening Day Brings out the Optimist in Us All

Game 1 of 162. The official beginning of the 6-month journey in hopes of finding a pathway into the October postseason. The slate is clean; no wins, no loses, each team is at an equal playing field.

Although analysts and fans can make firm and data-driven predictions on categorizing which teams are the powerhouses and which teams are “tanking,” each fan base comes into the first game with a famous Mets slogan “Ya Gotta Believe.” There is always hope and optimism that your team will overcome the odds against them and find a way to overachieve and make the postseason. Although some of this optimism is unrealistic, as a fan, Opening Day brings hope.

The game itself has a different atmosphere than any other. It’s a signal that baseball is here. Each stadium across the league sells out; player introductions allow fans to see its team’s new additions, the giant American flag gets unraveled across the outfield, and the flyover is sure to bring chills out of all baseball fans. Each fan remembers how opening day feels to them and some are sure to stick out more than others. Here are some views of our NYCSportsnation writers favorite opening day memories.

Austin Verhille, Yankees Nation Blogger

“My favorite was the only one I ever went to, and I believe it was in 2013 against the Detroit Tigers. The best part was when the jets flew over the stadium which I remember that was really cool at the time. Also whether I’m there or not I love the player introductions when both teams are lined up on the base paths. It’s just cool to see the whole team that you’re going to be rooting for until hopefully late October or early November.”

Tyler Boyce, Mets Nation Section Manager

One of my favorite opening days in recent memory was during the 2015 season. The Mets did little in the offseason besides bringing in Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry Jr., but they were gaining a then superstar Matt Harvey, and a full season of Rookie of the year Jacob DeGrom. With these two dynamic pitchers set for the Mets rotation, it was Bartolo Colón who took the ball on opening day to take on the Nationals Max Scherzer, making his debut in Washington. Bartolo Would go on to outpitch Scherzer in a close game, with the Mets winning 3-1.

The Yankees will begin the season in the Bronx, at home against the Baltimore Orioles on March 28th. Alex Cobb got the nod as the opening day starter over Dylan Bundy and will face Masahiro Tanaka for the Yankees. The game is at 1:05.

The Mets will begin the season in D.C. with what has to be the best pitching matchup in baseball. Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom will take the ball for his first opening day start of his career against the Cy Young runner up Max Scherzer. The game is at 1:05.

Featured Picture/Vdeio: MLB.com