Opening days are always chock full of firsts, but this opening day for the Braves was about more than just firsts.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau...
- Derek Lowe earned his second-consecutive opening day win
- In his first major league plate appearance, Jason Heyward hit a three-run home run, becoming the sixth player in Atlanta history and the 11th player in franchise history to hit a home run in his ML debut. He is just the sixth player in franchise history to homer in his first career plate appearance joining Bob Horner (1978), Jermaine Dye (1996), Marty Malloy (1998), Jeff Francoeur (2005) and Jordan Schafer (2009).
- At the young age of 20, Heyward became the youngest player to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat since 1950, when CIN's Ted Tappe, then 19, belted a pinch-hit home run at Ebbets Field. The youngest player to ever accomplish the feat was Whitey Lockman of the New York Giants, whose first at-bat home run came 20 days before his 19th birthday in 1945.
- Atlanta posted two six-run innings (first and seventh), becoming the first team in major league history to open a season at home scoring at least six runs in a pair of innings. The feat was accomplished by two teams in season-opening road games; the Chicago White Sox against the Browns in St. Louis in 1951 and the Milwaukee Brewers at Toronto in 1982.
- Atlanta's run total of 16 is the most runs scored by an Atlanta opening day club since scoring 12 in a win against the San Francisco Giants on April 26, 1995. The 16 runs scored is also the most runs by an opening day Braves' club since April 4, 1900 when the team scored 17 in a losing effort vs. Philadelphia.
- Brian McCann's solo home run in the second inning was his second in two years and his third in five career opening day starts. McCann is one of seven players to connect on a long ball on opening day in 2009-10.
- Monday's 53,081 attendance mark was the fourth largest crowd in Atlanta regular-season history, the third largest in Turner Field history and the largest ever for a day game in Atlanta.
Pretty cool.
Marty Malloy’s only ML home run in 53 at bats with the Braves and Marlins.
cbwilk - April 7, 2010
Did anyone else read that and say
Who the hell is Marty Malloy? I wasn’t as diehard as I am today, but that name just did not ring a bell.
Cracker! - April 7, 2010
I remember his name bit I couldn’t tell you what he looked like, though I want to say he wore #20.
BullManUGA - April 7, 2010
Holy shit...
I was right. He wore #20 with the Braves according to baseball-reference.com.
BullManUGA - April 7, 2010
Little short guy with a mustache. Marty was a nice guy and a pretty decent AAA player.
cbwilk - April 7, 2010
Frenchie
Frenchie did not homer in his first PA, he homered in the 8th Inning of his first game…just for the sake of correctness
granman29 - April 7, 2010
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats5.shtml
neither did Malloy or Horner
homerlanding - April 7, 2010
Testing mobile commenting with my Droid
BullManUGA - April 7, 2010 via mobile
droooooiiiid
eavchuck - April 7, 2010
These aren't the droids you're looking for.
jpx7 - April 7, 2010
lol…choke…lol.
I really gotta stop eating while reading TC comments.
Lizziebeth - April 9, 2010
My favorite stat
from the first game is that the Braves scored only 1 of their 16 runs with two outs (Prado’s RBI single). That’s the reverse of what we saw last year, when it seemed like we could only score with 2 outs.
Another good one is that famed groundballer Derek Lowe induced 2 double plays—but both were line drives that doubled up a runner on first (one to Esco and the missed call on the ball McLouth dropped).
Jacob Peterson - April 7, 2010
Oh,
and the 2,200+ comments on the TC game threads is a pretty impressive stat, too. :)
Jacob Peterson - April 7, 2010
Am I missing something, or does this not make sense?
AllSaintsDay - April 7, 2010
They haven’t scored more than 12 since 1995.
BullManUGA - April 7, 2010
none of it makes any sense. opening day on april 26th? and is 16 the all-time braves record then?
15ks - April 7, 2010
1995 was strike-shortened due to the lockout. Spring Training did not start until April 2, when Judge Sonia Sotomayor (yes, the one now on the Supreme Court) ruled in favor of the players and after the owners fielded teams of Replacement Players to start regular Spring Training. That is why 1995 only had 144 games.
Mr. Glavine #47 - April 7, 2010
FUN FACT!
1.) 122.5 – David Ortiz – 09/06/05
2.) 122.3 – Vlad Balentien – 10/02/09
3.) 122.3 – Jeremy Hermida – 07/19/08
4.) 122.1 – Reggie Abercrombie – 04/19/06
5.) 121.9 – Hanley Ramirez – 07/04/08
6.) 121.6 – Wily Pena 04/17/05
7.) 121.3 – Alex Rodriguez 06/15/06
8.) 121.2 – Jonny Gomes 07/09/05
9.) 121.0 – Mark Reynolds 09/18/07
10.) 121.0 – Josh Phelps 08/20/07
11.) 121.0 – Prince Fielder 04/18/06
12.) 120.9 – Jason Heyward 04/05/10
13.) 120.8 – Adam Dunn 09/27/08
14.) 120.7 – Travis Hafner 08/20/06
15.) 120.5 – Ryan Braun MIL 09/23/07
16.) 120.5 – Travis Hafner 06/27/05
17.) 120.4 – Alex Rodriguez 05/27/06
jjschiller - April 7, 2010
Those are ALL the homeruns to leave the bat faster than 120 mph since 2005.
According to hittracker.com
jjschiller - April 7, 2010
haha
Josh Phelps went to my high school, played ball with my oldest brother. Same high school Bobby Jenks went to as well…he also played with my brothers.
kreese555 - April 7, 2010
FRENCHIE
Francoeur did not hit a homer in his first AB, It was his 4th when he hit the 3 run homer. ironically it was agianst the Cubs too
geapsquash - April 7, 2010
So since no one else has mentioned it, I was kind of hoping Yunel would strike out so Heyward could hit a grand slam, but no, Yunel had to ruin it by driving in a run. Sheesh.
Gage23 - April 7, 2010
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