When it comes to Opening Day in New York, fans typically begin the new season on an optimistic note. Why? The Mets have the best Opening Day winning percentage in all of baseball, even after losing their first eight in the 1960s, while the Yankees rank fourth overall.
With all of those wins have come some memorable moments to start the season, so let’s look back on some of the best in Yankees and Mets history as both teams get ready to begin a 2025 campaign that will be one of the most hyped seasons in recent memory given the expectations for both teams this year.
Here are the Magnificent Seven:
Yankees, 1923
Imagine rolling up to a brand new Yankee Stadium and paying just over one dollar to see Babe Ruth play? That’s what fans in the Bronx did nearly 90 years ago, when the Yanks opened its brand spanking new ballpark to begin the 1923 season.
The Yankees took down the Red Sox 4-1 that day, and the roughly 74,000 fans (then the largest crowd in baseball history) certainly got their money’s worth, getting to see Ruth hit a home in the third inning to christen the new stadium with a three-run blast, and the Bombers would later christen the new cathedral with the franchise’s first-ever World Series victory. There would be plenty more after that.
Yankees, 1951
It was a day of firsts and lasts for the Yanks in 1951, when the Bombers were in the midst of what would be a remarkable five straight World Series victories. But this season would still be one of transition, with the great Joe DiMaggio playing in his final Opening Day, while across the outfield, a young Mickey Mantle was making his Yankees debut.
Both DiMaggio and Mantle picked up hits in the Yanks’ 5-0 win over the Red Sox, with Mantle’s first big-league hit coming by way of an RBI single in the sixth to put the Bombers ahead 3-0. DiMaggio followed with an RBI single of his own later in the inning, and Mantle came around to score the final run of the game on a Yogi Berra single to cap off the three-run sixth.
Mantle’s arrival wasn’t the only notable debut that day. Bob Sheppard’s voice echoed through Yankee Stadium for the first time that afternoon, and would be heard for decades to come.
Yankees, 1973
The Yankees displayed another first just over two decades after Mantle’s debut, making league history when Ron Blomberg stepped to the plate on Opening Day at Fenway Park, becoming the first designated hitter in baseball history.
Boston almost grabbed that share of history, as Orlando Cepeda, their DH for the day, was slated to bat fifth in the order, and Blomberg was sixth for the Yankees. But it was Blomberg getting the first plate appearance thanks to a first-inning rally by the Yankees, and his first at-bat as a DH resulted in a bases loaded walk issued by Luis Tiant, which forced in Matty Alou for the first run of the game.
The rest of the day didn’t go so well for the Yanks. Mel Stottlemyre was knocked around in a 15-5 loss in the first year of the George Steinbrenner era.
Mets, 1983
Tom Seaver was shockingly traded to the Reds in 1977, but the Mets legend returned to his roots after the 1982 season, when he was dealt back to New York, and made his triumphant reintroduction on Opening Day in 1983.
After receiving a raucous ovation from the home fans, Seaver went out and shoved, outdueling Steve Carlton in what was a 2-0 Mets victory. Seaver didn’t get the win (that went to Doug Sisk who tossed three shutout innings in relief), but he still turned in a quality start, allowing just three hits and one walk over six innings while striking out five. Carlon struck out nine over seven innings, but the Mets finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single by Mike Howard and a sacrifice fly by Brian Giles.
Mets, 1985
While Seaver made his memorable return to the Mets in 1983, Gary Carter made an unforgettable debut two years later, playing in his first game for New York after being traded by the Expos the previous winter.
The Mets opened the 1985 season at home against the Cardinals with Dwight Gooden on the bump, and the two teams battled into extra innings after the Mets coughed up a 5-4 lead in the ninth when Sisk walked in the tying run.
But one of Sisk’s newest teammates in Carter bailed him out, following a Keith Hernandez strikeout in the bottom of the 10th with the ultimate greeting to Mets fans: a walk-off home run just over the left field wall to send the fans home happy.
It was Carter’s second hit of the afternoon, and the then 31-year-old would go on to earn his first of four straight All-Star selections with the Mets, hitting a career-high 32 home runs.
Yankees, 1996
We covered the arrival of a Yankee legend in Opening Day of 1951, and nearly half a century later, another legend made a memorable introduction.
Derek Jeter played a brief stint in 1995, but began his rookie season in 1996 as the starting shortstop, a decision questioned by some. Jeter quickly put those doubts to rest by making a running over-the-shoulder catch and socking a solo home run, all in a day’s work, to help take down Cleveland 7-1.
David Cone tossed seven brilliant innings, while Jeter gave him some breathing room with his no-doubt home run to left to lead off the top of the fifth, giving the Yanks a 2-0 lead. It was the first landmark in Jeter’s career, which included a Rookie of the Year award that season, and his first of five World Series titles.
Mets, 1998
The Mets’ Opening Day victory in 1998 was historic for a number of reasons, starting with the date. New York began its season on March 31, then the earliest Opening Day in Mets history until the Mets opened the 2000 season in Japan on March 29. It was also historic for its length, a 14-inning marathon that was then the longest Opening Day game in National League history.
Fortunately for the Mets, it ended in a win.
There wasn’t much action in the four hours and 35 minutes of action, with the game holding scoreless through 13 innings thanks to Curt Schilling and Bobby Jones combining for 14 shutout innings as the starters, and the bullpens did the job as well before the Mets finally go to Ricky Bottalico in his third inning of relief.
Matt Franco led off the 14th with a single, and Brian McRae walked to put the winning run in scoring position. A one-out single by Bernard Gilkey loaded the bases, but the Mets were in danger of squandering a rare rally after Luis Lopez popped out. But pinch hitter Alberto Castillo delivered with a game-winning single, a line drive to right on a full count to finally end a long first day at the office.
Honorable Mention: Yankees, 2024
Could the Bombers have dreamt of a better debut for Juan Soto? The team's shiny new superstar picked up a hit and two walks but saved his biggest moment for the field, where he gunned down the would-be tying run at the plate on a Kyle Tucker single, maintaining a one-run lead that the Yanks would hang onto for a dramatic 5-4 win in a typical house of horrors for the Yankees in Houston.
The Yanks had fallen behind 4-0 early in the game, but battled back for a win to show that the season would be different, and Soto would be a massive part of the pennant-winning campaign.