This Weekend in Baseball History



April 12, 1960: More than 42,000 fans -- including vice president Richard Nixon, who throws out the first ball -- are on hand for the first game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Leon Wagner hits the first home run as the Giants beat the Cardinals 3 - 1.

April 11th, 1961: Carl Yastrzemski makes his major league debut. At Fenway Park, he singles in his first at bat (in the 2nd inning), but is soon caught stealing 2nd base. The day went Kansas City's way, the A's won it 5 - 2.

April 10th, 1962: Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Bill Skowron, the three Yankees who combined for 143 homers a year earlier, all hit Opening Day homers in a come-from-behond 7 - 6 win over the Orioles. Moose's is a 2-run shot to dead center that he legs out for an inside-the -park homer, while Mantle hits his in the 8th inning to tie the game, Maris belted his 3-run shot in the 5th.

April 12th, 1965: The Phillies win the Astrodome's first regular season game. Chris Short fired a complete game shutout, striking out 11. Tony Taylor led off the game with a double for the ballpark's first hit, while Dick Allen accounted for all the scoring on a 3rd inning homer that drove home Ruben Amaro Sr.

April 11th, 1966: Emmett Ashford becomes the first African American umpire to work a major league game. He's part of the crew as the Senators host the Indians in Washington.

April 10th, 1969: Tommie Agee hits the only upper deck home run in Shea Stadium history. He pulls a second inning pitch the Expos' Larry Jaster -- truly, where no ballplayer had gone before.

April 10th, 1971: The Phillies draw more than 55,000 to their first game at Veterans Stadium. Jim Bunning earns the win in a 4-1 victory over the Expos. Larry Bowa got the park's first hit; Don Money had the first home run.

April 11th, 1980: Steve Carlton outpitches Steve Rogers on opening night, while Greg Luzinski smacks a three-run homer as the Phillies begin their journey to their first World Series title with a 6-3 Veteran Stadium win over the Expos.

April 12th, 1980: Nolan Ryan makes his Astros debut and belts his first career home run, leaving with a 5 - 4 lead over the Dodgers. But the bullpen couldn't  hold it and L.A. won it 6 - 6 in 17 innings.

April 10th, 1998: On the day the 75th anniversary of Yankee Stadium's opening was observed  the Bronx Bombers win a 17-13 slugfest over the and Oakland A's. The Yanks had a pair of 5-run innings and another where they scored 4. The A's scored 5 in the 2nd and 8 in the 5th. Amazingly, there was only one home run was hit in the game -- by Yankee 1st baseman Tino Martinez.

April 11th, 1990: Mark Langston and Mike Witt of the Angels combine for the first of a record nine no-hitters that season, a 1-0 victory over the Mariners.

April 11th, 2000: The Giants open brand new PacBell Park, but the shortstop for the arch-rival Dodgers steals the show. Kevin Elster blasts three home runs as L.A. wins 6 - 5.

April 12th, 2004: The Reds spoil the debut of Citizens Bank Park, defeating the Phillies 4-1. Cincinnati lead off batter D'Angelo Jimenez gets the park's first hit. The Phils' Bobby Abreu belts the park's first home run.

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