List of Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics Opening Day starting pitchers


The Athletics are a Major League Baseball team that was originally based in Philadelphia. They moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1956 before moving to their current home, Oakland, California in 1968. They have always played in the American League. During the 20th century until their move to Kansas City, they played their home games primarily at two home ball parks – Columbia Park until 1908, and Shibe Park from 1909 through 1967. Their home ball park in Kansas City was Municipal Stadium. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day.
The Athletics played their first game on April 26, 1901 at Columbia Park. Chick Fraser was the Opening Day starter for that game, which the Athletics lost to the Washington Senators by a score of 5-1. The Athletics used 45 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 67 seasons to moving to Oakland. The Athletics won 32 of those games against 35 losses in those Opening Day starts.
Lefty Grove and Alex Kellner had the most Opening Day starts for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics with four. Grove made four Opening Day starts for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925, 1927, 1928 and 1930. Kellner made two Opening Day starts for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952 and 1953, and two Opening Day starts for the Kansas City Athletics in 1955 and 1956. Eddie Plank, Chief Bender, Jack Coombs, Scott Perry and Phil Marchildon each made three Opening Day starts for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics. The other pitchers who made multiple Opening Day starts for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics are Bullet Joe Bush, Sugar Cain, Chubby Dean, Lum Harris, Slim Harriss and Bobby Shantz. Catfish Hunter made one Opening Day start for the Kansas City Athletics, but later made three Opening Day starts for the Oakland Athletics, giving him a total of four for the franchise.
In the ten years from 1904 through 1913 the Athletics used four different Opening Day starting pitchers. Plank, Bender and Coombs each made three Opening Day starts during that span. The other Opening Day start during that span was made by Nick Carter in 1908. Carter made that start despite never having pitched in Major League Baseball prior to 1908 and, as it turned out, 1908 was Carter's only year in the Major Leagues.
When the Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955, Alex Kellner was the Opening Day starting pitcher. The Athletics won the game by a score of 6-2 over the Detroit Tigers. Kellner was the Opening Day starter for the Athletics again in 1956. However, in the 12 seasons from 1956 through their last season in Kansas City, 1967, the Athletics used a different Opening Day starting pitcher every season.
The Philadelphia Athletics were the American League champions nine times—1902, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914 and 1929 through 1931. They won the World Series five times, in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 and 1930. In the seasons in which the Athletics won the World Series, their Opening Day starting pitchers were Plank, Bender, Coombs, Carroll Yerkes and Grove. The Athletics lost their Opening Day game in 1910 and 1911, but won in 1913, 1929 and 1930. The Kansas City Athletics never won and American League or World Series championship.

Key

Pitchers

YearPitcherDecisionOpponentLocationReference
1901Washington SenatorsColumbia Park
1902**Baltimore OriolesOriole Park
1903Boston Red SoxHuntington Avenue Grounds
1904Washington SenatorsAmerican League Park II
1905**Boston Red SoxColumbia Park
1906 Washington SenatorsAmerican League Park II
1907Boston Red SoxColumbia Park
1908New York YankeesHilltop Park
1909 Boston Red SoxShibe Park
1910† Washington SenatorsAmerican League Park II
1911† New York YankeesShibe Park
1912 Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1913† ND Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1914**New York YankeesPolo Grounds
1915Boston Red SoxShibe Park
1916Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1917 Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1918Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1919Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1920 New York YankeesShibe Park
1921 New York YankeesPolo Grounds
1922Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1923Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1924 Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1925Boston Red SoxShibe Park
1926Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1927 New York YankeesYankee Stadium
1928 New York YankeesShibe Park
1929†Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1930† New York YankeesShibe Park
1931**Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1932New York YankeesShibe Park
1933Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1934New York YankeesShibe Park
1935 Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1936Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1937Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1938Washington SenatorsGriffith Park
1939Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1940New York YankeesShibe Park
1941 New York YankeesYankee Stadium
1942Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1943Washington SenatorsGriffith Stadium
1944 Washington SenatorsGriffith Stadium
1945Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1946New York YankeesShibe Park
1947 New York YankeesYankee Stadium
1948 Boston Red SoxFenway Park
1949Washington SenatorsGriffith Stadium
1950Washington SenatorsGriffith Stadium
1951Washington SenatorsShibe Park
1952New York YankeesShibe Park
1953 New York YankeesYankee Stadium
1954 Boston Red SoxShibe Park
1955 WDetroit TigersMunicipal Stadium
1956 WDetroit TigersTiger Stadium
1957WDetroit TigersMunicipal Stadium
1958WCleveland IndiansCleveland Stadium
1959LCleveland IndiansMunicipal Stadium
1960ND Chicago White SoxComiskey Park
1961WBoston Red SoxFenway Park
1962WMinnesota TwinsMunicipal Stadium
1963LNew York YankeesMunicipal Stadium
1964LDetroit TigersTiger Stadium
1965LDetroit TigersMunicipal Stadium
1966LMinnesota TwinsMetropolitan Stadium
1967WCleveland IndiansMunicipal Stadium