Opening Day Special Edition

Historical tidbits of Opening Day in Cincinnati

The First Opening Day - May 2, 1882

“If at first don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”

This was the first phrase written on page five of the May 3, 1882 Wednesday morning Cincinnati Enquirer, describing the 10-9 opening day loss to Pittsburgh in front of 1,500 fans at Bank Street Grounds.

It was the first Opening Day for your Cincinnati Reds.

There was little fanfare for the 1882 opener. There were no parades, no “honorary first pitch”, just the start of the season for a new team in the new American Association, a league they ended up being champions of later that fall. The ballpark was the Bank Street Grounds, off of Western Ave. and Bank St. Extra police were on hand for the large crowd, including a special force outside the park that kept the non-paying customers from trying to climb atop the fences.

Little did that team know what Opening Day would become in the Queen City.