Happy Opening Day to all of you! No matter how long I cover baseball, there is always something special about the first game of the season when everything is fresh.

The D-backs could not have scripted a better start to the season with Seth Beer hitting a walk-off three-run homer to give Arizona a 4-2 win over the Padres on Thursday night.

Heck, it was National Beer Day, too, so you know the stars were all aligned.

You can read all about the events of the game here.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW

Some players know they're going to make the Opening Day roster before they even report to camp, but for others it can come down to the last minute. That's what happened to outfielder Cooper Hummel as you can tell by this story of how he found out he made his first ever Opening Day roster:

The D-backs had completed their workout Wednesday night. It was their final tuneup before Thursday's opener with the Padres and Hummel was still in limbo. It seemed he had an inside track to be on the roster, but no one had said anything official to him, and so he sat in front of his locker waiting as veteran teammates dressed and left.

Infielder Jake Hager went in and was told he wasn't making the team. Then third baseman Drew Ellis got called in and coach Luis Urueta told Hummel to sit tight.

"I was like, 'Oh no, what do we have going on here?'" Hummel said.

Finally, it was Hummel's turn and when manager Torey Lovullo started out by saying he apologized to Hummel's wife, there was a moment of panic before Lovullo finished by explaining that he wished she could be here to see the look on Hummel's face when he heard he was a big leaguer for the first time.

"It was pretty cool, surreal moment," Hummel said. "Really thankful to have that moment."

Hummel's first call after he got the news was to his wife and the second went to his parents.

“I called her right away,” he said. “She was crying in the background. Then I called my parents. I’d only heard my dad close to tears one other time. Yesterday he had the waterworks going. My mom was bawling in the background. It was two really great phone calls.”

Hummel in fact made his big league debut in the opener and drew a walk in the seventh inning.

CATCHING UP WITH ... ORLANDO HUDSON  

Orlando Hudson played three seasons for the D-backs from 2006-08, winning two of his four career Gold Glove Awards while wearing an Arizona uniform and helping the club win the NL West in '07.

Now retired, Hudson works in the D-backs' player development department. We recently caught up with him for a few questions:

You're listed as a player development assistant, what does that entail?
Same thing I've been doing for six, seven years now. I'll leave here at the end of Spring Training, go home for a few weeks, then go to [Single-A] Visalia, go home for a week, go to [Double-A] Amarillo and I'll see you guys back up here with the big league team again next month.

Do you work with the infielders at each stop?
Not just the infielders. I evaluate all of them -- coaches, infielders, hitters, pitching.

You sound like you enjoy it.
I love it! I love being with the young guys. I love being here, too, because the big league team is young, too. It's just awesome being around the game and the guys. It's a blessing that [then-GM Dave Stewart] brought me back to the organization when he was here and I'm still here with this group -- GM Mike Hazen and [assistant GM] Amiel Sawdaye. I hope to remain here. 

What's your best memory in a D-backs uniform?
Aw man, I've got a lot of them. I've got a lot of them. Obviously, having one of the best managers in baseball in Bob Melvin was a joy. I had great teammates like [Luis Gonzalez], Damion Easley, Tony Clark, Brandon Webb, Justin Upton, and watched Stephen Drew, Chad Tracy, Conor Jackson and Chris Young grow as players. We had some good teams.

TRIVIA

Randy Johnson has the most Opening Day starts in D-backs history with five. Who is next on the list?

• A. Zack Greinke
• B. Ian Kennedy
• C. Brandon Webb

RECOMMENDED READING -- MINOR LEAGUE EDITION

You're going to want to keep an eye on the D-backs' Minor League teams this year with the organization teeming with top-notch prospects.

Here are some links to get you started:

• The D-backs' farm system is ranked fourth in baseball.

• MLB Pipeline has ranked the D-backs' top 30 prospects.

• Here's a look at where Arizona's top prospects are starting out the year, courtesy of MLB Pipeline's William Boor.

D-BACKS VAULT

April 3, 2001: Bob Brenly's debut on Opening Day

The D-backs opened the 2001 season against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium with Randy Johnson making his second straight Opening Day start for Arizona. But while the "Big Unit" had been through openers before, Bob Brenly was in a new position -- manager. Brenly had been hired during the offseason after a disappointing 2000 season resulted in the firing of Buck Showalter. Johnson made sure that Brenly's debut was a winning one, as he struck out 10 over seven innings while throwing 133 pitches in a 3-2 victory for Arizona.

QUOTABLE

"I always go back to thoughts of Little League and reminisce about those times running around the park carrying your banner around the infield, and it never gets old." -- D-backs manager Torey Lovullo on Opening Day

TRIVIA ANSWER

C: Brandon Webb started four openers for the D-backs. Ian Kennedy, Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner have each started three.

FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW

To subscribe to D-backs Beat, visit this page and mark "D-backs Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the D-backs or that they're checked as your favorite team. 

Contact: 

 Steve.Gilbert@mlb.com 

View Online