The road to the Fall Classic begins in Tokyo, Japan. Here are the must-know dates and matchups for the 2025 MLB season.
Wells, that was fast!
The Yankees' offense got off to a quick start in their 2025 Opening Day game against the Milwaukee Brewers, with leadoff batter Austin Wells hitting a solo home run to start the bottom of the first inning. Wells' 348-yard dinger to right-center field landed in the front row.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREWell(s) that was quick 💥
— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2025
The first #OpeningDay home run comes off the bat of Austin Wells 💪 pic.twitter.com/0HZ3tGk6cj
Not only did the home run from Wells — who became the first catcher to bat leadoff in a regular season game for the Yankees — give the team an early lead, it was a historic round-tripper in multiple ways, too, for the franchise and all of baseball.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Wells became the first catcher ever to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day. That's nearly 150 years of Major League Baseball history.
Austin Wells made #OpeningDay history! pic.twitter.com/q2kxLfFm6E
— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2025
He was also the first player in Yankee history with a leadoff home run on Opening Day, ESPN stated during its broadcast, a stat that is almost hard to imagine given all the Hall of Fame players who have donned the pinstripes. Not Derek Jeter, not Rickey Henderson, not Phil Rizzuto — just Wells.
MLB
Also of note: Wells' home run would have left the yard in exactly one of 30 MLB ballparks, according to Statcast. That would be Yankee Stadium.
Teammate Anthony Volpe went yard the following inning to give the Bombers a 2-0 lead.
