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Opening Day represents one of the best times of the year. It’s the official start of America’s favorite past time. Hope lies ahead for each and every MLB franchise.
Everyone is 0-0 at first pitch. Optimism is high for both players and fans as spring rolls in and summer sits just around the corner. Friends and families make their way to the ballpark with excitement for the season to come. There is truly nothing like it.
Opening Day dates back well over a century. Some players have performed better than others in those yearly debuts.
Who holds the MLB record for most multi-HR games on Opening Day?
There are seven players with multiple multi-HR performances on Opening Day. Some are surprises. Others are expected inclusions.
Each of these players has exactly two instances in which they hit more than one home run in the first game of the year. Here, we’ll list them in alphabetical order.
Adam Dunn
Dunn, then a member of the Cincinnati Reds, went yard twice in his season opener of the 2005 campaign, smacking both home runs against the New York Mets.
The first was a three-run bomb in the bottom of the first frame. The second was a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game. The Reds would later win in walk-off fashion.
Two years later, the slugger would again homer twice in a debut against the Cubs. Dunn is tied for the all-time lead with eight career Opening Day home runs, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Robinson.
Juan González
Gonzalez hit more than 400 home runs across a 17-season career with the Rangers, Tigers, Royals, and Cleveland. A number of those came on Opening Day.
The outfielder slugged a pair of homers to begin the 1993 season while in Texas facing the Orioles. Nearly a decade later in 2001, he’d repeat the feat as a Cleveland Indian.
The eight-year span between his two multi-HR Opening Days is the longest on this list.
Eddie Mathews
Mathews is a Hall of Famer that bashed more than 500 home runs between 1952-1968. The infielder twice hit multiple home runs on Opening Day of an MLB season.
Both came within a five-year span while playing as a member of the Milwaukee Braves.
The first instance occurred in 1954, just his third year as a pro, when facing off against Cincinnati. Four years later, he’d hit two more home runs in an Opening Day matchup vs. the Pirates.
Raul Mondesi
Mondesi played 13 MLB seasons with seven different franchises. The majority of his career, however, was spent in Los Angeles.
The outfielder did the bulk of his damage to opposing pitchers while with the Dodgers, highlighted by a Rookie of the Year award in 1994. The following season, he’d continue the momentum by bashing a pair of Opening Day home runs against the Marlins.
Four years later, he’d again accomplish the feat in the most dramatic way possible. With his team trailing in the ninth inning vs. Arizona, Mondesi tied things up with his first homer of the game. In extra innings, he hit his second to walk the game off.
Xavier Nady
Nady twice had multi-homer games on Opening Day throughout his 12-year MLB career. Those instances took place three years apart.
In 2005 while a member of the San Diego Padres, the slugger smacked a pair of dingers to rack up four RBIs in a loss to the Rockies.
In 2008 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he repeated the feat with two opposite field bombs in an extra inning win over the Braves.
He also hit an Opening Day home run in 2007 to total five first-game round trips for his career.
Albert Pujols
Pujols is one of the great home run hitters of his generation. Racking up more than 700 dingers across a 22-year career, he ranks fourth in MLB history.
A few of those blasts came on Opening Day. Twice, he homered multiple times in his season debut. Each came while play for the Cardinals.
The first came in 2006 during a matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies. The second was four years later in 2010 while facing the Cincinnati Reds.
Joe Torre
Joe Torre is best remembered as a World Series winning manager of the Yankees. Prior to his career in coaching, he was a great player.
The catcher and corner infielder played 17 seasons with the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets. He was an Opening Day star, totaling six home runs in season debuts throughout his career.
On two occasions, both with the Braves, he homered more than once in his first game of the year. The first came in 1965 against the Reds. The second came a year later against the Pirates.
Torre is the only player in MLB history to homer twice on Opening Day in back-to-back seasons.