Opening Day in the Big Apple
- Daniela Perez Leal
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
By: DANIELA PEREZ LEAL / CHIEF A&E EDITOR
Wake up – baseball is finally back in the Big Apple.
From the early morning hours of March 27, immaculate vibes centered around Yankee Stadium for Opening Day. Fans filed through the turnstiles of 161st street station and gathered outside the ballpark to celebrate the return of baseball season.
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball joined in on the festivities by raising the Opening Day flag outside its headquarters in midtown Manhattan, a signifying moment for the New York community.
The New York Yankees took the field looking quite a bit different than last season. Not only were they playing without star outfielder Juan Soto but a few players showed off their freshly grown beards. Despite a new look, the team appeared as dominant as ever with a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The star of the game was pitcher Carlos Rodón, who helped secure the victory with an incredible performance on the mound. Over 5.3 innings, Rodón allowed just one run off four hits while striking out seven to earn his first win of the season.
“He was really in command of his emotions,” said Yankee manager, Aaron Boone. “If he does that he’s capable of that every time.”
Another spotlight went to catcher Austin Wells, who became the first catcher in Yankees history to hit leadoff. Despite being in unfamiliar territory, Wells looked right at home, clobbering a homer over the short porch to lead off the bottom of the first.
Wells became the first catcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day. He also became the first Yankee to hit a leadoff blast to kick off the regular season.
“It’s kind of exciting, just getting to hit in front of Aaron Judge and trying to get on base for him,” Wells said. “I think that’s helped me a little bit mindset-wise, just getting on base any way I can.”
Not long after, Anthony Volpe launched a 348 ft. bomb in the bottom of the second inning that landed a few rows back from Wells’ first inning shot.
In the seventh inning, Yankee captain Aaron Judge hit a screamer down the line that bounced off third base, turning into a double that scored Ben Rice and advanced Oswaldo Cabrera to third. Behind him was newly acquired outfielder Cody Bellinger, who delivered a sacrifice fly to score Cabrera for their fourth run of the afternoon.
While the Yankees secured a win for the city, the Mets were not as fortunate in a 3-1 loss against the Astros at Daikin Park in Houston.
Although the Yankees secured a win for the Big Apple, the Mets were not as fortunate to take the Opening Day victory over the Houston Astros, losing 3-1 at Daikin Park.
Since he signed a historic 15-year, $765 million to join the Mets, all eyes have been on Soto. He dazzled in spring training, hitting a homer in his first at-bat. And in their Opening Day matchup, the game came down to him.
Down two runs with runners on the corners, Soto stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. Uncharacteristically, Soto chased a Josh Hader slider way out of the zone and went down swinging for the final out of the game.
“He got me,” a downcast Soto said after the game, admitting that he was sitting on a fastball. “A pretty good pitch, a slider down and away that I wasn’t expecting.”
Fortunately, if there is one thing that manager Carlos Mendoza's Mets are experts at, it’s bouncing back from defeat. And the next night, the Mets got back on track with a 3-1 victory over the Astros.
In the second inning, Mark Vientos ripped a double that scored Brandon Nimmo. The third baseman quickly came back around to score on a Jesse Winker single that gave the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Soto got redemption from the night before when he crushed a 390 ft. no-doubter to right field in the third inning, marking his first home run in a Mets uniform.
The Mets return to Queens for their home opener on April 9, kicking off a three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field.
In the city that never sleeps, both New York squads have their eyes set on the same thing – a World Series trophy. And this year, there’s a chance that it could all come down to them in what would be the first Subway Series World Series in a quarter century.
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