10 Vintage Photos of MLB’s Opening Day Magic

History Sports March 28, 2025

Little else can match the feverish excitement that builds around Opening Day in Major League Baseball. These vintage photos, however, can capture just a little bit of that timeless magic that bursts upon the first pitch of the season. You’ll have your stadiums packed to the brim with wild crowds of fans, just as you’ll have your legendary players that could include a select few who are suiting up for their very last Opening Day.

It’s a remarkable day in every season of Major League Baseball. We’ll now take a look at some vintage photos that pay tribute to it.

1. April 29, 1886, Polo Grounds in New York City. The Boston Beaneaters (later the Braves) and New York Giants get together for a pregame photo on opening day.

A vintage baseball team poses on a field wearing white uniforms with "Boston" on some jerseys. A large crowd fills the stands, with American flags draped below them. The image has a historical, sepia-toned appearance.
morganmonroe81

The uniforms have changed so much over the years. It’s wild.

2. Fenway Park on Opening Day in 1912.

A vintage black-and-white photo shows a bustling street scene outside a brick building with a sign reading "Kerry Park." People in early 20th-century attire walk along the sidewalk, and two individuals on horseback are near the road.
johnnylgarfield

Just imagine being surrounded by horses at the ballpark nowadays. The smell alone. No thank you.

3. Yankee Stadium, Opening Day, April 18 1923. The opening game was against the Boston Red Sox.

Black and white photo of Yankee Stadium with vintage cars parked in front. The stadium is adorned with American flags and bunting. A crowd of people is gathered near the entrance.
rattusamicus

It’s only right that the Yankees and the Red Sox were squared off against one another.

4. Opening day snow showers in Detroit as the Tigers play the Chicago White Sox in 1911.

A vintage black-and-white photo of a baseball game under the rain. A player stands in front of a catcher and an umpire. The audience is blurred in the background, and the field appears wet. The scene captures the historical atmosphere of the sport.
morganmonroe81

The pain that must’ve been endured if you ended up hitting a fastball off the end of one of those wooden bats on that forsaken day is unimaginable.

5. Fans at the opening day of baseball, Milwaukee, 1957.

A large crowd of people, mostly men in suits and hats, sit closely packed in a stadium. They are all looking upwards with expressions of anticipation and interest. The photo is in black and white, capturing a vintage atmosphere.
ryansmith

The fans certainly dress a bit different nowadays.

6. April 18, 1950, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photographers at Shibe Park for Opening Day of the baseball season.

A group of men and women in formal attire, including military personnel, are perched on ladders at the edge of a baseball field as they watch a game. The background shows rows of wooden seats and a partially filled audience.
morganmonroe81

What an aesthetic though.

7. Babe Ruth and teammates on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, 1923.

Four baseball players wearing NY jerseys and striped pants walk on a baseball field. They are dressed in heavy cardigans and caps. A crowded grandstand and blurred signage are in the background. The image is in black and white.
sisyphushaditeasy

Babe Ruth really knew how to stare down the camera.

8. Frank Sinatra and Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda, with (from left) players Steve Yeager, Rick Monday, and Rick Rhoden, at Dodger Stadium, Opening Day, April 9, 1977.

A group of men in Los Angeles Dodgers uniforms and baseball caps are gathered together. They are smiling and appear to be in a locker room or similar setting. Cameras and photographers are visible in the background.
norrisrw

It looks like all the ballplayers had nothing but love for Sinatra.

9. Baseball legends Willie Mays & Roberto Clemente happily pose for a photo on Opening Day at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh (April 1965).

Two baseball players in vintage uniforms, one from the San Francisco Giants and the other from the Pittsburgh Pirates, stand together smiling on a baseball field with stadium seating in the background.
axlcobainvedder

Just a couple of legends of the game of baseball having their moment.

10. Some Opening Day action back in 1957.

A historic black and white photo of a baseball team, wearing pinstriped uniforms with "NY" logos, walking in a line on a field. The stadium is filled with spectators in the background.
nyyankees1958

You did not want to get in the way of that stampede.

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