First hit of Opening Day: Seattle Mariners 2000’s edition

2005: Ichiro single to left off Brad Radke, Safeco Field

Successful season? Yes

Ichiro sure made a habit of getting a hit the first at-bat of the season. He was at it again and so much that the Ichi-meter was still counting his hit total from the prior year. In the post-Edgar era, Ich was at it again with a fifth straight All-Star berth; over 200 hits and .300 average. But 2005 saw some key differences here; Ichiro played his first Iron Man season (162) and fans saw some power. Ichiro’s 15 homers remain a season-high and just his second time achieving double-digits.

2006: Jose Lopez single to short off Bartolo Colon, Safeco Field

Successful season? Yes

The first hit of 2006 didn’t come until the fourth inning. And for the first time since 2003, it wasn’t achieved by number 51. After replacing Rich Aurilia at short mid-2004, Jose Lopez’s career year was 2006. The season’s first hit propelled Jose to his first and only All-Star appearance.

His homer and RBI totals didn’t show it but Jose was the guy you wanted up in the clutch. After calling up Yuniesky Betancourt the previous year, the team found their middle-infield who could hit for contact. Jose’s average finished at .282, a full 50 points higher than his 2004 rookie campaign.

2007: Jose Vidro single to center off Dan Haren, Safeco Field

Successful season? Yes

Overshadowed by Felix Hernandez‘s strikeout-barrage and shutout of the A’s, Jose again led things off again on Opening Day. Jose Vidro was traded for Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto. This was one of those trades that didn’t work out long-term for either party.

But in the short-run, Vidro had a productive 2007. He was the team’s three-hole hitter. Although his power and RBI numbers significantly dropped from his Expo days, this was the tail-end of his career. Even though six home runs and 59 RBI’s aren’t much, he was reliable and efficiently reached base with 157 games played and a .314 average.

2008: Adrian Beltre single to left off Kevin Millwood, Safeco Field

Successful season? No

Even though on paper a .266 average, 25 homers, and 77 RBI are pretty good, it’s hard to highlight anything as successful during a 100-loss season. You need to also look at Beltre’s Mariner tenure relative to his other’s. His five Seattle years weren’t his best side. He never panned out as the 2004 MVP runner-up signed from the Dodgers.

And none of his Mariner seasons were a success next to his subsequent All-Star years in Boston and Texas. His decent numbers overshadowed how to unclutch he was with us. The man hit 100 RBI’s both before and after the Mariners. He played at a different level away from Seattle.

2009: Adrian Beltre double to right off Francisco Liriano, Metrodome

Successful season? No

The Mariners were better in 2009 yet Adrian’s last year with the club wasn’t. Similar to Mitch Haniger, he had an unfortunate male injury. 111 games played were the lowest since his rookie season. He also finished with single-digit homers for the first time since his rookie campaign as well. And his .265 average was 56 points below his average the next year in Boston.

Well, there you have it. The 2000’s saw a positive correlation between the first Opening Day hit and a successful season for that player. Three came from Ichiro, one from Mr. Mariner, a couple from first-time Mariners, et cetera. Stay tuned for the 2010’s edition and stay home!!