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San Francisco Giants Tie MLB Record With New Opening Day Outfield Starter

The cavalcade of new players at this key position on the field continued on Thursday for the San Francisco Giants.

Matthew Postins

Mar 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos (17) connects for an RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Oracle Park.
Mar 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos (17) connects for an RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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The San Francisco Giants started Heliot Ramos in left field on opening day on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds. That was what many expected.

But in doing so, the Giants tied a rather unique Major League record, one they hope comes to an end in 2026.

With Ramos drawing the start, San Francisco had a different starting left fielder on opening day for the 19th straight season. The Giants tied the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles, which did the same thing from 1937 to 1955.

The San Diego Padres did it for 17 straight years from 2005-21.

MLB Network’s Sarah Langs posted the entire list, with a credit to the Elias Sports Bureau.

So how did this all start?

Barry Bonds was the starting left fielder for the Giants in 2006 and 2007, the latter being his final season in the Majors.

From there, an unintentional rotation of opening-day left fielders began.

Last year’s starting left fielder, Michael Conforto, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason. The year before, Blake Sabol drew the nod. He is now with the Boston Red Sox.

In 2022, it was Joc Pederson, who was on the bench for the Texas Rangers on opening day on Thursday, along with former Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

They’ll both be back in the Bay Area in a few weeks when the Rangers visit San Francisco for a three-game series.

The revolving door of left fielders isn’t a precursor to success or failure as far as the Giants are concerned. For instance, Bochy led three San Francisco teams to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with different starting opening day left fielders each year.

The Giants have failed to make the playoffs each season since 2021, all with a different opening day left fielder.

San Francisco has some hope that Ramos can be a player who sticks at the position.

He was pressed into service in center field last season, but he is a better fit at a corner outfield position. He played so well a year ago that he earned his first All-Star Game berth.

Ramos slashed .269/.322/.469 last season with 22 home runs and 72 RBI as he finally fulfilled the promise of being a first-round pick back in 2017.

He’s also under team control for several more years, But with right fielder Mike Yastrzemski entering his final season of team control, it’s possible the Giants could move Ramos to right field in 2026.

If so, then the Giants would own one of baseball’s more unique records.  

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Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation.

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