Reds History: Unexpected hero upstages Adam Dunn's blast with Opening Day walk-off

Opening Day is easily one of the best days on the baseball calendar. Every single team begins the season with the exact same win-loss record, and whether your favorite team is rebuilding or a World Series contender, there's always a sense of optimism in the air.

Opening Day in Cincinnati is always special, and some of the most memorable moments in Reds history have occurred during the first game of the year. Perhaps the most unforgettable Opening Days in recent memory took place on April 4, 2005 when an unknown infielder upstaged one of greatest sluggers in Reds history.

The star of the game was Adam Dunn. After a spectacular season in 2004, Dunn got his 2005 campaign started off on the right foot. The Cincinnati Reds' slugger went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and five RBI on Opening Day.

Reds History: Joe Randa upstages Adam Dunn's blast with Opening Day walk-off

Dunn's first blast was absolutely launched with runners on first and third in the bottom of the first inning. Dunn stepped into the left-handed hitter's batters' box and tattooed 3-1 offering from New York Mets starter Pedro Martinez. The ball disappeared into the sky and landed in the sundeck in right-center field at Great American Ball Park giving Cincinnati a 3-1 lead over New York.

But Dunn wasn't done. Trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Dunn stepped up to the plate with his buddy Austin Kearns aboard at first. The 2-1 offering from Mets' reliever Braden Looper was launched over the wall in right-center field and Dunn's two-run shot knotted the game at 6-6.

While Dunn was receiving high-fives and congratualtions from his teammates in the dugout, a heretofore unknown player stepped into the batters' box. Joe Randa, a journeyman who signed a free agent deal with Cincinnati during the offseason, was 1-for-3 on the afternoon with two strikeouts and was looking to make something happen.

The Reds Opening Day third baseman jumped on the 3-2 pitch from Looper and sent it into the seats in left field. The crowd at GABP erupted, and an excited Randa rounded the bases and met an exuberant bunch of teammates at home plate. Cincinnati won by the final score of 7-6 in one of the most memorable Opening Day moments in Reds history.

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