Orioles' Top 5 Opening Day moments

There is nothing quite like Opening Day. No matter where you live or where your allegiances lie, every team, every player and every fan begins each new season full of hope and optimism.

That dynamic leads to unforgettable moments, moments only Opening Day can provide. Here are the top five in Orioles history -- plus one extra for good luck.

1) An all-time moment to begin an all-time year
April 12, 1966

The 1966 Orioles may not have been the single best team in franchise history, but they are probably the most important. Their story truly started with the acquisition of Frank Robinson the winter before and ended with the franchise’s first World Series championship. The regular season itself then opened dramatically: Locked in a 4-4 tie with the Red Sox, the O’s rallied in the 13th before Boston reliever Jim Lonborg balked home the winning run. The O’s won, 5-4. It would end up being that kind of year for the Birds, where everything broke right.

2) Welcome to Camden Yards
April 6, 1992

Legend has it that former Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe wasn’t planning to sign with the Orioles before in the 1992 season. Then he was given an exclusive, early tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He saw what the rest of the baseball world would soon see … and changed his mind on the spot. Part of the O’s free-agent pitch to Sutcliffe was that he’d get the ball for the first game played in the new stadium. He didn’t disappoint, firing a five-hit shutout to lead the O’s to a 2-0 win over the Indians, on OPACY's official birthday.

3) Why not?
April 3, 1989

“Here’s how bad the Orioles were,” longtime baseball writer Tim Kurkjian retold to MLB.com in 2019 for an oral history of the 1989 club. “The Boston Globe predicted, tongue-in-cheek of course, that Roger Clemens would pitch a no-hitter on Opening Day against the Orioles. Not just were the Orioles so bad in 1988, but this goes way back.”

But Baltimore certainly was bad in 1988, losing a record 21 consecutive games to begin the season and finishing with a then-team record 107 losses. There were no expectations heading into ’89 … which is why the “Why Not?” team's accomplishments would end up etched into Orioles lore. The magic began on Opening Day, when Cal Ripken Jr.’s three-run homer chased Clemens and set up Baltimore's 5-4 win in 11 innings.

4) The Snowpener
March 31, 2003

The longest home opener by inning in Camden Yards history was also the wackiest: a 13-inning, weather-delayed, 6-5 victory over the Indians that required layers to witness and featured Jay Gibbons famously losing a fly ball in the snow. Sometimes, just because Spring Training is over, doesn’t mean spring has sprung. It wasn’t until Gary Matthews Jr.’s walk-off single in the 13th that everyone could head inside and warm up.

5) A jolt from Jonesy
March 29, 2018

The 2018 season was the worst in Orioles history by wins and losses … but it sure started with a bang. Nothing beats Opening Day joy, even in the leanest of years. The truth is, the teardown that would come months later was something nobody saw coming when the O’s opened '18, intent on one last run at contention with their aging core. Even fewer saw it coming when Adam Jones walked off against Fernando Rodney, giving Baltimore a thrilling 3-2 Opening Day win over the Twins. It was the third consecutive Opening Day the O’s won in walk-off fashion, and second straight via a homer.

6) The Birds are born
April 13, 1954

The city of Baltimore had spent more than a half-century without a big league franchise when the St. Louis Browns moved east and became the Orioles in 1954. They received a hero's welcome. And while it took a few years to find their footing on the field, the Orioles were tethered into the fabric of the city from the beginning, and remain so today. The official start of all that was Opening Day ’54, when Tigers righty Steve Gromek outdueled Don Larson to beat the O’s, 3-0, in their first game of existence, at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.