Opening Day Contest

[MetsFan]

First person to answer the following questions gets a MetsFan prize pack of cigars and some home roasted coffee:

1. Who is the only man to pitch a no-hitter in an Opening Day game?

2. Which pitcher holds the record for the most consecutive Opening Day starts for the same team?

3. Only two men have hit three home runs on Opening Day. George Bell did it in 1988 for the Toronto Blue Jays. Who was the other player to blast three home runs on Opening Day, doing so in 1994, and what team did he play for?

4. The modern record (since 1900) for most consecutive Opening Day wins is shared by four teams. Brooklyn won nine straight Opening Day games from 1919-1927, the St. Louis Brown did the same from 1937 to 1945, and the New York Mets won nine consecutive from 1975 to 1983. Which team was the most recent to win nine in a row Opening Day contests, having done so from 1983-1991?

5. Which team moved to their new home city just weeks prior to Opening Day, 1970?

6. On April 18, 1939, Ted Williams played in his first Opening Day game, facing the New York Yankees. Who was the Yankee legend that played in his final Opening Day game that same day?

7. On Opening Day, April 14, 1915, in Philadelphia, Red Sox Hall of Fame outfielder Harry Hooper hit a single with two outs in the ninth inning to break up a no-hit bid by which future Hall of Fame hurler?

8. The St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first Opening Day game played in the evening under lights. What year did this occur?

9. This future batting champion hit two homers on Opening Day in both 1965 and 1966. He later went on to a successful managerial career. Who is he?

10. On April 14, 1910, William Taft became the first U.S. President to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Taft threw his pitch to that day's starting pitcher, who went on to hurl a shutout win, allowing just one hit. Who was this future Hall of Fame pitcher who caught Taft's ceremonial pitch?

Mooch of the Month, March 2002