Baseball is back! Opening day of baseball has come and gone and there was no shortage of highlights from the first games of the 2018 campaign. As it has done since mid-season 2016, Topps is commemorating the greatest moments from the day with a new wave of their Topps Now series.
These are not the first cards released as a part of the 2018 design but it does mark the start of the official base set as today’s release begins the checklist at #1. Today’s additions are listed below and final print runs for each card will appear on our checklist when they become available.
- 1 – Ian Happ (Cubs) hit the first home run of the 2018 season on the first pitch of the 2018 season. He went 1 for 5 in the game with three strike outs but he will be remembered for starting off his home run campaign right out of the gate following a 24 home run season in 115 games last year. This card also includes limited autograph versions.
- 2 – George Springer (Astros) hit his 100th career home run but that wasn’t the only fascinating aspect to his homer. Springer also becomes the first player in baseball history to hit a lead off homer in back to back opening days (2017, 2018), and the first time a defending champion hit a leadoff home run on opening day.
- 3 – Giancarlo Stanton (Yankees) introduced himself to New York fans in a big way by going 3 for 5 with a double, two home runs, four RBI and three runs. He goes into game two with a .600/.600/2.000 batting line.
- 4 – Eduardo Nunez (Red Sox) made home run history by hitting the first opening day inside-the-park homer in Boston since 1968. He went two for four in the game with two RBI.
- 5 – Shohei Ohtani (Angels) came up to the plate determined to put a lackluster spring behind him and earned his first big league hit in his first at bat. He went 1 for 5 in the 11 inning match against Oakland with one K. This card has an alternate written in Japanese.
- 6 – Adam Jones (Orioles) brought the O’s to an 11th inning victory against the Twins with a walk-off home run. The match went scoreless through six and a half innings when the Orioles scored two runs but the Twins tied things up in the ninth and fought for two more innings before Jones ended things in dramatic fashion.
- 7 – Matt Davidson (White Sox) put on quite a show for White Sox fans as he went 3 for 4 with a walk and three home runs (five RBI) becoming the fourth player in history to open a season with three long balls. In case you’re curious, his batting line is now .750/.800/3.000 with a 3.8 OPS+ and he’s on pace to hit several hundred home runs in 2018.
- 8 – Nick Markakis (Braves) only had one hit in Atlanta yesterday but he made it count as he capped a five run comeback with a walk off home run (his first) to end the game at 8-5.
- 9 – Marcus Semien (Athletics) helped end an 11 inning battle with the Angels with a perfectly placed hit to center field. Having overcome a four-run deficit to tie the game at 5, the Angels played five men on the infield following a Boog Powell one-out triple and intentional walk. With two men in the outfield, Semien dropped the ball right in the gap and brought in the winning run.
All of these cards are available for 24 hours and can be purchased using any of the links on this page. A complete checklist of Topps Now MLB cards is on the main page of this hub and is updated daily.
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