Opening Day is one of the most universally beloved days on the baseball calendar, signaling the start of a new season and a fresh opportunity for clubs to thrill and surprise fans. As we count down the days until the Giants’ 2021 opener in Seattle on April 1, here’s a look back at five of their best Opening Day moments:

April 15, 1958: Giants usher in a new era
The Giants opened their inaugural season in San Francisco by shutting out the Dodgers, 8-0, at Seals Stadium in the first game between the rivals on the West Coast. Right-hander Rubén Gómez bested Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, firing a six-hit shutout to earn the win, while Daryl Spencer and Orlando Cepeda homered for the Giants. The 20-year-old Cepeda quickly became a breakout star for San Francisco, capturing National League Rookie of the Year honors after hitting .312 with an .854 OPS and 25 homers.

April 10, 1962: Mays’ grand entrance
Willie Mays homered on the first pitch he saw from fellow Hall of Famer Warren Spahn with two outs in the first inning, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon and the rest of the season. The Giants went on to blank the Milwaukee Braves, 6-0, behind a brilliant effort from Juan Marichal, who struck out 10 while pitching a three-hit shutout. The Giants finished the regular season with a 103-62 record, winning their first NL pennant since moving to San Francisco after defeating the Dodgers in a best-of-three tiebreaker.

April 2, 2002: Bonds fells the Dodgers
After setting the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001, Barry Bonds picked up where he left off the following year. The home run king crushed a pair of homers to lead the Giants to a 9-2 win over the rival Dodgers in their 2002 opener in Los Angeles. Bonds launched a three-run home run off Kevin Brown in the second inning before adding a solo shot off Omar Daal in the seventh. He finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs, kicking off a second consecutive NL MVP campaign for the Giants.

April 2, 2017: Bumgarner homers twice
Madison Bumgarner became the first pitcher in MLB history to homer twice in a season opener when he slugged a pair of 112-mph shots against Arizona's Zack Greinke and Andrew Chafin at Chase Field. Still, his exploits at the plate and on the mound -- he struck out 11 while giving up three runs over seven innings -- were squandered after new closer Mark Melancon blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, saddling the Giants with a 6-5 loss.

March 29, 2018: Panik takes Kershaw deep
Bumgarner was in line to once again pitch for the Giants on Opening Day in 2018, but he was scratched from the start after he was struck by a line drive that fractured his pitching hand in his final Spring Training appearance. Left-hander Ty Blach subsequently stepped in and earned the win behind the clutch hitting of Joe Panik, who broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning by yanking a 2-2 slider from Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw just inside the right-field foul pole to lift the Giants to a 1-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Panik, of course, came back to homer off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth the next day, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit back-to-back solo homers to win 1-0 games for his team.