1. Ian Happ hits a home run on the 1st pitch of the 2018 MLB season.
Cubs center fielder Ian Happ got the 2018 MLB season off to an exciting start by homering on the very first pitch of the game. Marlins pitcher Jose Urena tried to throw a first pitch fastball over the plate, and Happ jumped all over it, launching the ball over the right field fence to give the Cubs an early lead. It was a great way to kick off the season, and the Cubs would go on to win the game by a score of 8-4.
2. Matt Davidson hits three home runs on opening day.
White Sox designated hitter Matt Davidson is not necessarily a big name player, but he definitely made a name for himself this year by homering three times on opening day. He is just one of four players in history to accomplish the feat on opening day, so hopefully that gives some perspective. Davidson is just one of many young, talented players on the White Sox roster this year, and for a team in the middle of a rebuild, he is a very promising sign.
3. Giancarlo Stanton homers twice in his Yankees debut.
Giancarlo Stanton being traded to the New York Yankees was one of the most controversial moves of the offseason, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting Stanton’s performance at all. In his first game with the Yankees, Stanton crushed two long home runs, one of which was the hardest hit opposite field home run in the Statcast era at 117.3 mph. The other landed in the second deck above the center field wall. Looks like that trade is working out just fine for the Yankees.
4. Ichiro Suzuki robs a home run in his return to the Seattle Mariners at age 44.
Ichiro Suzuki is truly a special player, and it’s amazing to see him perform at such a high level at age 44. Most major leaguers would have retired years ago, but Ichiro is still out there robbing home runs like a 20 year old. Watch him leap and snag the ball over the left field wall here. After spending the first 12 years of his career in Seattle, it is nice to see Ichiro back in the place he started.
5. Joe Panik becomes the first player to hit a home run in back-to-back 1-0 victories.
Giants second baseman Joe Panik single handedly won the first two games of the season for his team. On opening day, Panik hit a solo shot off of Dodger’s ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. Fortunately, that is all they would need to secure the win. The next day, Panik did exactly the same thing, except this time in the ninth inning off closer Kenley Jansen. It was the first time in history that any player had homered in back-to-back 1-0 victories.
Austin Schreiber can be reached at [email protected] or @aschreiber94 on Twitter.
