Beat the drum! Hold the phone! The sun came out! The curtain on the 2017 Major League Baseball season has officially risen, and everyone is starting afresh. We are coming off the heels of a very exciting 2016 campaign that saw the Chicago Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. Who knows what kind of events will transpire over the course of this year's long and winding baseball season. Every year brings about some sort of unpredictable events, and sometimes the opening game itself features something that astounds the mind. Here are some Opening Day moments for both the New York Mets and New York Yankees that have proved to be memorable as the years have gone by.

1. Alberto Castillo Wins It In The 14th (1998) - Most baseball personnel and fans alike find that spring training is just too long. It's nice when it arrives; it acts as a symbol that the winter is ending soon and that everyone's favorite sport is right on the horizon. Eventually though it becomes monotonous, and everyone just wants Game #1 to arrive, with everybody fired up and ready to go. Well, sometimes it takes a little bit longer for certain teams. Specifically the 1998 Opening Day editions of the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. A four hour thirty five minute affair, the two clubs used a combined 11 pitchers to reach the 14th inning. Finally in the bottom half of the frame, Philadelphia righthander Ricky Bottalico, in his third inning of work, surrendered a walk-off single to pinch hitter Alberto Castillo that gave the Mets the win. A fun fact about this game is that despite playing 14 innings over 4 and a half plus hours, neither side was able to collect an extra base hit! 16 singles accounted for all of the game's hits on this strange Opening Day battle. (suggested reading: The New York Mets Encyclopedia)

2. Babe Ruth Christens Yankee Stadium (1923) - Beginning with their inception season of 1901 and lasting until 1922, the New York Yankees bounced around a little bit from ballpark to ballpark. Originally known as the Baltimore Orioles, they spent their first two seasons playing at Oriole Park. Once they moved to New York they played 10 years apiece at Manhattan's Hilltop Park and the Polo Grounds. Finally in 1923, the Yankees moved into what would be their long-term residence, Yankee Stadium. And they wasted little time calling it home. In the first game ever played there, the Yankees put up a 4-spot in the third inning, punctuated by a 3-run home run off the bat of home run king Babe Ruth. It was the first home run in the history of the building, and ended up being the difference maker in the Yankees 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, with Bob Shawkey tossing a complete game victory. (suggested reading: Babe Ruth: Launching the Legend)

3. Darryl Strawberry's Homer Hits The Top Of Olympic Stadium (1988) - While the 1986 Mets have gone down into baseball lore forever, the 1987 Mets have largely been forgotten. Spending just 13 days out of the entire year in first place (with none of those days coming after April), the '87 Mets did come within striking distance of the NL East leading Cardinals come mid-September, however it just wasn't their year. They finished the season in second. 1988 on the other hand was a different story. The Cardinals took a big step backwards in '88, whereas this version of the Mets returned to their 100-game winning ways, starting on Opening Day. Kicking off the season in Montreal at Olympic Stadium, the Mets scored early and often, feasting on Expo pitching. No one more so than rightfielder Darryl Strawberry, who recorded a perfect 4-4 day, 2 of those hits being home runs. His second of the game came off of Randy St. Claire in the 7th, a towering shot that actually hit a speaker on the stadium's roof. What a feat! Mets win, 10-6. (suggested reading: Straw: Finding My Way)

4. Ron Blomberg Makes History (1973) - Whether you like the designated hitter (DH) or dislike it (I'm a National League guy personally) it's a part of the game. So as with every part of baseball, there's of course a story behind it. And this one is particularly fortuitous for former 1st overall pick and then-New York Yankee Ron Blomberg.  It was Opening Day 1973, the Yankees at Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox. Blomberg was nursing some tender hamstrings from spring training. Rather than start him at first base where he appeared in 95 games the prior year, or place him on the disabled list, manager Ralph Houk penciled Blomberg in to be the team's designated hitter, a "position" the American League adopted that season. Rather than having the pitcher bat, a hitter would come to the plate instead, in a hope to generate more runs and excitement for the fans. The thing was Blomberg was hitting 6th in the lineup. Boston's designated hitter Orlando Cepeda was slotted in the 5th spot of the Red Sox batting order, making him slightly more likely than Blomberg was to appear first in the game and go down in the history books as baseball's first DH. But as it was, Boston's starter Luis Tiant had trouble in the game's opening frame to the point where Blomberg did end up appearing in the ballgame ahead of Cepeda. His at-bat also led to the game's first run, as Blomberg drew a walk with the sacks full. Unfortunately for the Bombers, Boston had the last laugh in this game, with future Hall-of-Famer Carlton Fisk leading the way with 6 RBIs en route to a 15-5 Red Sox victory. Despite that, Blomberg's 1st inning at-bat is the part of this game that's been most looked back upon over the course of time. (suggested reading: The New York Yankees Illustrated History)

5. Tom Terrific Returns, Outduels Steve Carlton (1983) - From 1968-1977, Tom Seaver made 10 consecutive Opening Day starts for the Mets, going a perfect 6-0 with 4 no-decisions. That 1977 season brought about the infamous "Midnight Massacre", where then-chairman M. Donald Grant gutted the team, trading Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds in the process. This furthered along arguably the team's darkest period, where they not only averaged 97 losses a year, but suffered dramatically in the Shea Stadium attendance department. There was basically very little to be excited about, outside of the high draft picks the Mets would gain due to all their losing. However in the winter of 1982, the Mets swung a deal with the Reds to reacquire the man known as The Franchise. On what had to have been the most-anticipated Mets Opening Days in years, Seaver took the ball to the delight of the Shea faithful, squaring off against the Philadelphia Phillies. In a battle between two of the best pitchers of the 1970s, and future Hall-of-Famers, Seaver bested Phillie lefthander Steve Carlton as the Mets won 2-0. Seaver tossed 6 frames of scoreless baseball allowing just 3 hits, a walk, while striking out 5. (suggested reading: 101 Reasons to Love the Mets)

6. A Day of Firsts and Lasts (1951) - Looking back on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium in 1951, it may produce a mixed range of emotions in the hearts of Yankee fans. Playing the Boston Red Sox, 1951's Opening Day will forever be known as both the final one for the 'Yankee Clipper' Joe DiMaggio, as well as the Major League debut for Mickey Mantle. Both collected a hit and an RBI apiece in the Bomber's 5-0 win. After the Yankees won the 1951 World Series, DiMaggio ended up announcing his retirement due to nagging injuries. Meanwhile Mantle, despite suffering through a slump and spending some additional time in minors during his rookie season, went on to have a Hall of Fame career of his own. Interestingly enough, Mantle was not the only legendary member of the Yankee family to make his debut on that day in 1951. It was also the first day of Bob Sheppard's tenure with the Yankees. The legendary New York Yankees public address announcer went on from there to enjoy a 56-year career with the team. (suggested reading: The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History)

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