Here is quick PI tip to help you enjoy opening day. (It doesn’t require a subscription, although if you want one, the PI is currently available for free.)
To find the results of every team’s opening game since 1871:
- Use the “Team Winning and Losing Streaks Analyzer“
- Change “Games in Streak” to 1.
- Set “Year” to “All Years”.
- Set “Team” to “All Teams”.
- Select “From beginning of season only ” or Set “Starting with game” 1.
The results are easily copyable into a spreadsheet.
A few of the many interesting things that you can find with this information:
- Since 1903, the team that would ultimately win the World Series won on opening day 65% of the time. Those same teams fared better in the second game of the season winning 73% of those games.
- Since 1903, teams that won their first game of the season, posted a .508 winning percentage in subsequent games. Teams that lost had a .492 winning percentage in their remaining games.
- Since 1901, the team with the biggest win in their first game was the 1955 Yankees who beat the Senators (in their second game) 19-1.
- Since 1901, the team with the worst loss in their first game was the 1912 Dodgers who lost to the Giants 18-3.
- There have been 10 opening day ties involving 19 teams (The 1933 Giant’s opener was the Dodger’s third game) since 1871. However, only 2 of those games took place after 1933. In 1965, the Cubs and Cardinals opened with an 11 inning 10-10 tie. 35 years later, the Brewers and Reds were tied at 3 through six when their game was called.
The PI Game-Finders may be a easier tools for many opening day searches (most wins in the last 10 years etc.), but the Winning and Losing Streaks Analyzer can be a valuable alternative with the added benefits of runs scored and allowed, final season record, postseason finishes and a greater range of years.
