Two other guys who played for the Phillies near the end of their careers (well, for one of them, we THOUGHT it was near the end), Jim Thome and Dale Murphy, are also on the list. Murphy either didn't play or didn't walk on Opening Day with the Phillies in 1991 and 1992 (and with Colorado in 1993), so all of those walks are from his Atlanta years. Thome got walks on Opening Day in two of his three Phillies seasons, 2003 and 2005.

He didn't put a single ball in play: 4 walks and 1 strikeout in his 5 plate appearances.

He took some pitches on those walks that I couldn't believe he was confident enough (and had a good enough eye) to take.

The again he did walk 300 more times in his career than he struck out which is rare these days.

He has 8 HR since then.

🙂

Just kidding -- I love Da Meat Hook. Young was one of the few bright spots in a very dark stretch for Detroit. In 2003, when they lost 119 games, Dmitri Young was the only truly good hitter on the club, with a 144 OPS+ (next-best was 108); he led the club in every significant counting stat and rate stat, except for steals. It's too bad he was injured most of 2006, missing one of the most sudden turnabouts ever -- from 71-91 to 95 wins and a near-sweep of the AL playoffs.

But that 2005 club -- have you ever seen a more generic starting rotation? The top 4 SPs (Jason Johnson, Mike Maroth, Nate Robertson and Jeremy Bonderman) all pitched 189-210 innings with a WHIP from 1.354 to 1.368 and an ERA+ from 90 to 95 -- the only modern team with 4 qualifying pitchers clustered in that tight range. All four had good control (no more than 3 BB/9) but allowed plenty of hits; none averaged 7 K/9.

One year later, the Tigers signed Kenny Rogers and brought up Justin Verlander, and produced the best pitching in baseball, with a 119 ERA+.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET200504040.shtml

Maybe the best ever opening-day game for a hitter. And Da Meat Hook, of all people!

In his first 4 opening day starts (2002-20065) he was 10 for 17 with a loine of .588/.682/1.235.

In 1937, the A's were walking everyone. 1927 is a fun box score:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1192704120.shtml

Myer bats fifth, with four HOF-ers ahead of you in the lineup (well, three HOF players and one HOF-manager) and Myer is guy the Red Sox pitch around. 🙂 The Senators ended up trading Myer to the Red Sox for Topper Rigney three weeks later.