'Give me the ball, let’s go': Brubaker tapped as Opening Day starter

BRADENTON, Fla. -- On July 26, 2020, on a cloudy-turned-sunny afternoon in St. Louis, JT Brubaker made his Major League debut. A year and a half later, Brubaker, a little older and a little wiser, will step on that mound again with the opportunity to live out every pitcher’s dream.

Brubaker will start for the Pirates on Opening Day, manager Derek Shelton announced on television during Sunday’s game against the Rays. Brubaker is still navigating the range of emotions that come with a privilege of such esteem. Calls will be made. Texts will be sent. When a slightly misty-eyed Brubaker reflected upon what it meant to get the call, the happiness, the excitement, the joy shined through.

“It was kind of a speechless moment, really,” Brubaker said. “I didn't know how to react. I wanted to jump through the ceiling, but at the same time, it's like, 'All right, make sure you know what you're doing. Don't get too far ahead of yourself.' I was kind of speechless and in awe in that moment.”

When it was time for Shelton to break the news to Brubaker, the Pirates’ skipper took the casual approach. An hour before Sunday’s game, Shelton asked Brubaker if he wanted to pitch on Thursday -- Thursday, of course, being Opening Day. The answer to that question required no thought.

“I was like, ‘Yeah, give me the ball, let’s go,'” Brubaker said.

When Brubaker -- the seventh pitcher in the last seven years to receive the Opening Day nod for the Pirates -- gets the ball on April 7, he will be brought back to the same place he made his Major League debut. This time, though, the circumstances will be vastly different.

When Brubaker debuted two years ago, the stadium’s occupancy was limited to a few dozen. There were no fans. There were no cheers. There were no boos. Each sound, regardless of volume, reverberated throughout an empty Busch Stadium.

When Brubaker and the Pirates return to St. Louis this week, they won’t just be greeted with a packed house; they’ll be witnessing a celebration of Cardinals royalty.

Opening Day in St. Louis will mark the first time that Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright will all suit up together for the Cardinals in more than a decade. The afternoon was already going to be a joyous procession given that nearly every team has not celebrated a full-capacity Opening Day in years.

With Pujols back in town? The elixir of nostalgia will be flowing, one that Brubaker himself would enjoy if not for the fact he was responsible for spoiling the party.

“It’s awesome, because I think I was still in high school when all three of those guys were playing together. Not to date them by any means,” Brubaker said. “I grew up watching those guys play together. It was fun to watch. To actually start against them with them in the lineup, it’s an awesome moment. I’m honored to be in that type of presence between those three.”

The Opening Day honor is all the more validating for Brubaker given his battles with injuries in recent years. In 2019, he pitched in just six games due to a right elbow injury. Brubaker impressed to begin last season, but tapered off and missed about all of September due to a right shoulder injury. Prior to those ailments, he never had to battle a serious injury. Now healthy, he will have his day.

“When you go out and you actually have a clear sight of what you're wanting to work on in the offseason, or even in Spring Training, the hard work pays off when a moment like this comes,” Brubaker said.

While Brubaker is deserving of the moment, the selection of him over José Quintana does come as a bit of a surprise.

Quintana, a 10-year veteran and former All-Star, is the pitching staff’s elder statesman. With Mitch Keller not in line to start on Opening Day due to timing and need for rest, Quintana made sense as the Opening Day starter. Manager Derek Shelton noted that Quintana took the news in stride.

“We sat down with [Quintana] first out of respect to him and explained what we were doing and how he was doing it, and he was great about it,” Shelton said.

Quintana has experienced the magic of starting on Opening Day before. When asked about it earlier this week, the left-hander said he remembers it like it was yesterday. Now, Brubaker, too, will get the chance to throw his team’s first pitch of the season.

“[I’m] about to take it home and soak in it,” Brubaker said. “Take it in for a minute. It'll be awesome to sleep on this one tonight.”