These Pictures Show Just How Much Baseball’s Opening Day Has Changed

Opening day at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on April 18, 1923.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, third from right, walks the Washington Senators out onto the field at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC, 1917.

Babe Ruth poses for photographers at Yankee Stadium on April 12, 1927.

The Polo Grounds in New York City as the Giants play the Philadelphia Phillies on April 17, 1934.

An Army tank takes the field on April 1, 1957, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Before the Dodgers game against the Giants on April 18, 1958.

President John F. Kennedy throws the first ball at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC, 1961.

Balloons are released in the outfield during the 1987 opening day at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Cleveland Indians play the Texas Rangers on April 20, 1982, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Children lean over the front row railing at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, 1991.

Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals rides out on the field March 31, 1998, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Groundskeepers in tuxedos prepare the field before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at the Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix on March 31, 1998.

First base is lowered from the rafters of the Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix on March 31, 1998.

The Boston Red Sox’s Johnny Damon (left), Manny Ramirez, and Bill Mueller stretch before their home opener on April 11, 2005, at Fenway Park in Boston.

Opening day at Dodger Stadium on April 13, 2009.

Baltimore Oriole fans watch batting practice before the game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on April 3, 2006, at Oriole Park in Baltimore.

Fireworks are launched during the national anthem before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals on April 12, 2010, in Philadelphia.

Adam Jones (right) hits Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles in the face with a pie after the Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins on April 4, 2016, in Baltimore.

People swim during the opening day game between the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals on April 4, 2012, in Miami.

A dog poses for a photo before the start of the opening day game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on March 29, 2018, in Queens, New York City.

Alex Ríos of the Kansas City Royals has a cooler of water poured on him by Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas as they celebrate their win over the Chicago White Sox on April 6, 2015, in Kansas City, Missouri.

An opening day third base is replaced during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox on March 29, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri.