Diamondbacks and Pirates announce Opening Day starters
Major League Baseball's 2025 Opening Day is coming soon, with teams finalizing their starting pitchers. As managers organize their rotations, many have announced their choices for the first game of the season. The Arizona Diamondbacks will start Zac Gallen for the third consecutive year. Gallen was strong last season, finishing with 14 wins and a 3.65 ERA. He will face the Chicago Cubs to kick off the season. Luis Severino will start for the Oakland Athletics after signing a record contract for the team. The A's will begin their season against the Seattle Mariners. In Atlanta, the Braves will send Chris Sale to the mound. Sale was last year's NL Cy Young winner and is expected to perform well against the San Diego Padres. The Baltimore Orioles have named Zach Eflin as their Opening Day starter. He performed well last season and will face the Toronto Blue Jays. For the Boston Red Sox, Garrett Crochet will start against the Texas Rangers. Crochet had a standout first season and looks to build on that in 2025. Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs will pitch in Tokyo as they start the season with two games against the Dodgers. Meanwhile, rookie Sean Burke will take the mound for the Chicago White Sox. Hunter Greene will start for the Cincinnati Reds, having had a strong showing last year. The Cleveland Guardians are still deciding their starter due to Shane Bieber's recovery from surgery. Kyle Freeland will start for the Colorado Rockies, and Tarik Skubal will pitch for the Detroit Tigers after winning the AL Cy Young. Framber Valdez will make his fourth straight Opening Day start for the Houston Astros. Cole Ragans is set to pitch for the Kansas City Royals, while Yusei Kikuchi will start for the Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers have chosen Yoshinobu Yamamoto to begin their season against the Cubs in Tokyo. Sandy Alcantara returns from injury to start for the Miami Marlins. Freddy Peralta will take the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers. Pablo López will start for the Minnesota Twins, and Clay Holmes has been named the Opening Day starter for the New York Mets. Carlos Rodón will pitch for the New York Yankees, stepping in due to an injury to Gerrit Cole. Zack Wheeler is set to start for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Pittsburgh Pirates will have Paul Skenes, the last year's Rookie of the Year, as their starting pitcher. Sonny Gray will start for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Twins, and Michael King is the choice for the San Diego Padres. Logan Webb will continue his streak with the San Francisco Giants, while Logan Gilbert starts for the Seattle Mariners. Shane McClanahan returns to lead the Tampa Bay Rays, and Nathan Eovaldi will start for the Texas Rangers. Lastly, José Berríos will represent the Toronto Blue Jays, and MacKenzie Gore will pitch for the Washington Nationals.