On April 23, 1903, a crowd of 11,500 filled Washington's American League Park to watch the New York Highlanders (renamed the Yankees three years later) play their first American League game. Once the pregame festivities ended, the team that was to become baseball's most storied got off to a rather inauspicious beginning, losing to the hometown Senators 3-1.From 1903 through 1996, the New York Yankees' opening game for each season is fully covered in this book. The game descriptions are nearly inning-by-inning, highlighting the big plays and the top performances. The comprehensive game accounts are augmented by rich looks at the pageantry of opening day, from the parades on the streets to who threw out the season's first pitch. Each account concludes with a brief overview of the Yankees' entire season.