Yankees History: Chien-Ming Wang leads team to MLB-record 11th straight home opening win

Twelve years ago today the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a 3-2 game. It marked the start to the 2008 season, but also set a new MLB record as the Yankees won their eleventh consecutive home opener.

The 2007 season ended in disappointment for the Yankees and their fans. The team finished with 94 wins, winning the AL Wild Card, but failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. As if being dismantled by the Cleveland Indians in that Division Series wasn’t tough enough, the team’s arch-rival Boston Red Sox would go on to win the World Series.

2008 was to be a fresh start. The Yankees saw Roger Clemens retire during the offseason. There weren’t any major acquisitions that winter, though the club did improve their bench and depth.

The 2008 home opener was originally scheduled for March 31, but rain pushed the game back a day to April 1. The weather cooperated this time though. It was cloudy with a wind blowing out to left field. The game-time temperature was a comfortable 64 degrees.

Chien-Ming Wang took the hill for New York to start. Wang was coming off a monstrous 2007 season. He’d just won 19 games for the second year in a row. His 3.70 ERA and 199.1 innings pitched were among the league leaders. He was a logical choice to take the ball on Opening Day.

New York wasted little time, putting a run on the board in that first inning. Bobby Abreu stepped to the plate with two outs and singled to right field. Alex Rodriguez followed with a double to deep center, allowing Abreu to come around and score.

Toronto responded in the top of the second. Frank Thomas and Lyle Overbay started the frame off with back-to-back singles. Aaron Hill followed with a fly out to right, which moved Thomas up to third. Marco Scutaro would follow with a ground ball to short. Derek Jeter made the throw to Robinson Cano, but they couldn’t beat Scutaro to first for the double play. Thomas would score to tie the game.

Wang and the Blue Jays starter, Roy Halladay, would cruise through the next two innings. Toronto would score again in the fifth.

Scutaro walked to open the inning and then promptly stole second base. Gregg Zaun singled, moving Scutaro to third. Two batters later Shannon Stewart grounded out to third, allowing Scutaro to score.

The Yankees would tie it in the sixth. Melky Cabrera lead off the inning with a home run to right field. Halladay worked out of the inning but would find trouble again in the seventh.

Rodriguez lead the inning off with a single to right. A walk to Jason Giambi would push him over to second. He’d move to third on a ground out by Cano. Toronto intentionally walked Jorge Posada to load the bases, bringing Hideki Matsui to the plate. He hit a grounder up the middle, hard enough to result in a force out at second but not enough for the Blue Jays to turn two. Rodriguez would score, putting New York ahead 3-2.

Joba Chamberlain entered to pitch the eighth, allowing just a walk.  Mariano Rivera would pitch a perfect ninth to close out the victory.

The win marked the eleventh consecutive home opener that the Yankees had won, establishing a new MLB record. The previous mark had been held by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had won every home opener from 1945 through 1954.

The Yankees failed to make it twelve straight the following year, dropping their 2009 home opener (and the home opener to the new Yankee Stadium) to Cleveland, 10-2.