4 Greatest Yankees Opening Day Memories

The New York Yankees' illustrious history has included their fair share of fond memories in the season opener. Though it's often too cold in the Bronx for the Yanks to comfortably open at home, and they often seem to be banished to someone else's ballpark, the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day never fails to light a smile on any fan's face, even away from home.

Without live baseball today to warm us up, it's time we remembered the best openers in Yanks history.

4. The House That Ruth Built: 1923

Fans got exactly what they paid for in the inaugural Opening Day at the brand new Yankee Stadium in 1923 -- though we suspect some of the announced 74,000-deep crowd snuck in without paying. Babe Ruth drilled a three-run homer in a 4-1 win over Boston on the day 'The House That Ruth Built' was officially christened.

3. Bobby Murcer's Heroics: 1981

Bobby Murcer took a roundabout road to get there, but by the end of his career, he was firmly a Forever Yankee. Re-acquired in 1979 after a much-maligned trade shipped him to San Francisco following four All-Star seasons in pinstripes, Murcer hit a pinch-hit grand slam in a 10-3 rout over the Rangers to start another AL Championship season right.

2. Bob Sheppard's First Opener: 1951

Before he was the Voice of God, he was just a young voice looking to make a name for himself. In his very first Opening Day behind the mic, Bob Sheppard got to rattle off the names of Hall of Famers like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Ted Williams in a 5-0 Yankee win over Boston.

1. Derek Jeter's Arrival: 1996

Yup, THIS is the Yankees opener you probably remember. In fact, it's the one you can watch on MLB Network Thursday morning. Though many derided the Yanks for going with unproven rookie Derek Jeter in Tony Fernandez's stead, he opened the season in Cleveland by drilling a homer to deep left and making a signature athletic play at short in a 7-1 win. Yup, 24 years later, it was still the right call.