After profession years in 2023, Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller and Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo will toe the rubber for his or her respective golf equipment on Opening Day. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET on March 28 at loanDepot park.
Right here’s a breakdown of the matchup:
Earlier Opening Day begins: 2023
2023 Season: 13-9, 4.21 ERA, 32 begins, 194 1/3 IP, 210 Okay’s, 105 ERA+, 3.3 fWAR
For the primary time since Francisco Liriano from 2014-16, the Pirates may have the identical Opening Day beginning pitcher in consecutive years. In 2023, Keller’s season-opening begin set the tempo for his first All-Star nod. And whereas supervisor Derek Shelton performed coy on who his Opening Day starters have been throughout his first 4 years because the Bucs’ skipper, he was fast to announce Keller as the pinnacle of his rotation this yr, displaying how far the 27-year-old right-hander has come.
It wasn’t that way back that an All-Star look and two Opening Day begins appeared far-fetched for Keller. After struggling via 2021 and the early components of ’22, which included being optioned to the Minors and briefly the bullpen, Keller expanded his arsenal and pitched with renewed confidence, serving to him to excel.
A second-half hunch inflated his season ERA, however didn’t take away that he was the Pirates’ most dependable starter final yr, placing out 210 alongside the way in which to set a franchise document for a right-handed pitcher.
Earlier Opening Day begins: None
2023 Season: 10-10, 3.50 ERA, 32 begins, 178 2/3 IP, 208 Okay’s, 125 ERA+, 3.7 fWAR
Luzardo, 26, grew up watching Ricky Nolasco and Josh Beckett draw Opening Day assignments. Now, he’ll be part of franchise lore because the 18th pitcher to take action — and the primary not named Alcantara up to now 5 years.
Luzardo has come a good distance since being dealt to Miami from Oakland for Starling Marte forward of the 2021 Commerce Deadline. On the self-described lowest level of his profession, Luzardo not solely had a 4.79 profession ERA however he had additionally sustained a hairline fracture in his left pinkie from a online game incident that sidelined him for an prolonged interval.
After some rising pains in his preliminary stint with the Marlins in 2021, Luzardo posted a 124 ERA+ in two full seasons from ’22-23. He grew to become one of many Nationwide League’s most beneficial arms final yr, ending eighth amongst certified pitchers in fWAR and ERA. Luzardo additionally set the single-season franchise document for a southpaw with 208 strikeouts final season. With Alcantara sidelined, Luzardo began Recreation 1 of the NL Wild Card Collection within the Marlins’ first postseason look in a full season in 20 years.
