Twenty-two former All-Stars are among the 30 pitchers taking the mound on domestic Opening Day this season.
Major League Baseball confirmed the mound matchups on Tuesday for the 14 games being played on March 27 and one on March 28.
Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates will start against the Miami Marlins on March 27. At 22 years and 302 days old, he will be the youngest Opening Day starter in the majors since 21-year-old Jose Fernandez of the Marlins in 2014.
The season’s first game Tuesday saw two Japanese hurlers — Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Chicago Cubs’ Shota Imanaga — square off at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The Dodgers earned a 4-1 victory while Yamamoto was credited with the win.
A third countryman, Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels, is scheduled to start his team’s opener against the Chicago White Sox on March 27. It’s the first time three Japanese-born hurlers will start on Opening Day.
Kikuchi is also one of four Opening Day starters who will be making their debuts with their new teams, along with Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox), Clay Holmes (New York Mets) and Luis Severino (Athletics).
Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves is set to make his sixth career Opening Day start. Jose Berrios (Toronto Blue Jays), Nathan Eovaldi (Texas Rangers) and Sandy Alcantara (Marlins) are each starting a fifth season opener.
–Field Level Media
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