Recently, Major League Baseball had its annual opening day, where teams play their first games of the season. It’s a special day for fans across the nation, but especially here in Cincinnati. We celebrate our own opening day with an opening day parade.
“Reds Opening Day is an amazing tradition of Cincinnati that all Cincinnatian’s love. Not only could I tell this from the crowd that showed, but you could tell this from the excitement among the crowd,” says freshman Hailey Lipp, who was among the crowd this year for the annual parade. “While the parade lasted around three or four hours, the committed people of Cincinnati stood strong and cheered loud and proud as each group walked by. It was an adrenaline rush filled day that ended in a Reds win.”
Additionally, on account of the Reds being the first professional baseball team, they get to play every opening day game at home, here in Cincinnati. In 1869, our team, known as the Red Stockings at the time, became the first ever all-professional team, and on May 4, they played their first game of the regular season, which they won by an unbelievable score of 45-9.
By the end of 1869, baseball’s first professional baseball team finished with a perfect record of 57-0, though the team reportedly won more. MLB.com states, “although the team won more than 70 games, team captain Harry Wright only counted games against other National Association clubs as official.”
At this point however, the Reds still didn’t have their opening day parade. The first opening day “festivities” in Cincinnati weren’t seen until 1889, 20 years after forming as the first ever professional team.