Now that the home opener is officially entered into the record, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to take a look at which Sox starting pitchers have taken the ball for the first home game of the season dating back to 1970. While some of these pitchers will, of course, be the same as the Opening Day starting pitchers I quizzed you about last week, there are plenty of names on the list that will force you to remember past rotations beyond the ace (kudos if you get 2022, because I had completely forgotten about him). In all there are 55 entries: how many can you name? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I’ve allotted 15 minutes for completion attempts.
- For hints, I’ve provided the year and the opponent/result.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- After Thursday’s game, the White Sox own a 28-27 record for Home Openers since 1970.
- Their best stretch came from 2002-2014, when they went 12-1, while their longest losing streak is 5, from 1993-1997.
- They’ve played the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Giants just once apiece during this period, while they’ve faced the Tigers the most, ten times (2-8 against). Perhaps they should consider asking MLB to not schedule the Tigers for the Home Opener.
- Their biggest blowout win came in 1972, a 14-0 victory over the Rangers, while their largest loss was an ugly 16-0 blowout against the --yup, you guessed it-- Tigers, in 1991.
All data from baseballreference.com
