Opening Day starters: Who's getting the call?

Below you will find every starting pitcher for each team in Game 1 of the 2022 season, as announced by the team’s manager. Noted in parentheses are how many times that pitcher has started on Opening Day, including the upcoming '22 start.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays (vs. TEX): José Berríos (3rd)
Entering his first full season with Toronto after being acquired from the Twins last summer, Berríos will get the nod on Opening Day. He has experience in the role, having started two season openers for Minnesota. Berríos went 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA and 78-to-13 K/BB ratio over 70 1/3 innings after last season's trade, and he signed a seven-year, $131 million extension with the Blue Jays in November. More >
2021 OD starter: Hyun Jin Ryu

Orioles (at TB): John Means (2nd)
The Orioles will give the ball to Means on Opening Day for the second straight year, making him the first Baltimore pitcher to start consecutive Opening Day games since Chris Tillman started three straight from 2014-16. On Opening Day in 2021, Means allowed only one baserunner over seven scoreless innings against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. More >
2021 OD starter: Means

Rays (vs. BAL): Shane McClanahan (1st)
McClanahan, 24, was the Rays' most effective starter during the second half of last season, posting a 3.01 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings over his final 17 starts after June 15. McClanahan made four starts against the Orioles, who were his most common opponent. He recorded a 2.74 ERA with 27 strikeouts through 23 innings and won all four starts. More >
2021 OD starter: Tyler Glasnow

Yankees (vs. BOS): Gerrit Cole (4th)
For the third straight season, the Yankees will send Cole to the hill on Opening Day. The right-hander had another strong campaign in 2021, posting a 3.23 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 243 strikeouts in 181 1/3 innings, good for a second-place finish in AL Cy Young voting. In last year's opener, Cole allowed two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays, walking two and striking out eight.
2021 OD starter: Cole

Red Sox (at NYY): Nathan Eovaldi (3rd)
Eovaldi will join Jon Lester and Pedro Martinez as the only Red Sox pitchers who have made three consecutive Opening Day starts since 2000. The right-hander will face the Yankees, whom he helped eliminate from the 2021 postseason with a strong outing in the American League Wild Card Game. The former Yankee allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight in Boston's 6-2 victory. More >
2021 OD starter: Eovaldi

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians (vs. KC): Shane Bieber (3rd)
Bieber will get the start on Opening Day for the third straight year. The Guardians' ace had another successful season in 2021, though it was abbreviated by right shoulder issues. Now healthy, he'll look to build on his history of excellent openers -- in his career on Opening Day, Bieber has pitched to a 2.25 ERA with 26 strikeouts over 12 innings of work. More >
2021 OD starter: Bieber

Royals (vs. CLE): Zack Greinke (6th)
After more than a decade away, Greinke signed a one-year contract with the club where his career took off and now, he'll make his sixth career Opening Day start and his first in a Royals uniform since 2010. Per Elias Sports Bureau, the 12-year gap is the largest between a pitcher’s Opening Day starts for the same team. This marks Greinke's second consecutive Opening Day start, as he tossed six scoreless innings for the Astros in their 2021 opener. More >
2021 OD starter: Brad Keller

Tigers (vs. CWS): Eduardo Rodriguez (1st)
Rodriguez will make his first Opening Day start about five months after signing a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers. He posted a 4.74 ERA over 157 2/3 innings last season with the Red Sox, but he had a 3.50 expected ERA and a 3.32 FIP. He set career bests in strikeout percentage (27.4) and walk percentage (7.0). More >
2021 OD starter: Matthew Boyd

Twins (vs. SEA): Joe Ryan (1st)
Despite having only five career starts under his belt, Ryan will get the Opening Day nod for the Twins against the Mariners. Ryan, the club's No. 4-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, recorded a 4.05 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP over 26 2/3 innings for Minnesota last season after being acquired from the Rays in the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay. More >
2021 OD starter: Kenta Maeda

White Sox (at DET): Lucas Giolito (3rd)
Giolito will get his third consecutive Opening Day start for the White Sox, making him the franchise's first pitcher since Mark Buehrle to have such a streak. The 27-year-old righty, who received AL Cy Young Award votes in each of the past three seasons, gave up two runs and struck out eight batters over 5 1/3 innings against the Angels on Opening Day last year. More >
2021 OD starter: Giolito

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A's (at PHI): Frankie Montas (2nd)
With the departure of 2021 opener Chris Bassitt, Montas will get the ball on Opening Day for the A's in Philadelphia. It's well deserved -- Montas finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting last season when he pitched to a 3.37 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 187 innings.
2021 OD starter: Bassitt

Angels (vs. HOU): Shohei Ohtani (1st)
The two-way star and reigning American League MVP will get his first career Opening Day start at home on April 7. Ohtani struck out 156 batters and registered a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 130 1/3 innings last year. Thanks to the reported "Ohtani rule," he can be in the Angels' lineup as the designated hitter on days in which he pitches and stay in the game as the DH once he is replaced on the mound. More >
2021 OD starter: Dylan Bundy

Astros (at LAA): Framber Valdez (1st)
Valdez registered a 3.14 ERA last season, the best among Houston's starters. He faced the Angels in Anaheim last September and held them scoreless through seven innings in a 10-0 Astros victory. The Astros have won nine consecutive Opening Day games, which ties the record for the longest streak in the modern era (since 1900), most recently accomplished by the Mariners from 2007-15. More >
2021 OD starter: Zack Greinke

Mariners (at MIN): Robbie Ray (1st)
Ray's Opening Day start will be the first of his career and serve as his Mariners debut after the left-hander signed a five-year, $115 million contract in November. Ray, who was the AL's Cy Young Award winner in 2021, posted a 2.84 ERA in 193 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays, striking out an MLB-best 248 batters. More >
2021 OD starter: Marco Gonzales

Rangers (at TOR): Jon Gray (3rd)
Gray will make his Rangers debut on April 8, about four months after signing a four-year, $56 million contract during the offseason. His two previous Opening Day starts came as a member of the Rockies in 2017 and 2018. He recorded a 4.59 ERA over 29 starts and 149 innings with Colorado last year. Including Gray, Texas has now had a different Opening Day starter six seasons in a row. More >
2021 OD starter: Kyle Gibson

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves (vs. CIN): Max Fried (2nd)
Fried will get the ball on Opening Day for the second consecutive year. He allowed two runs over five innings and struck out eight in last season's opener versus the Phillies. Braves fans will be hoping the left-hander can start 2022 similarly to how he ended 2021: By tossing six shutout innings in the clinching game of the World Series. More >
2021 OD starter: Fried

Marlins (at SF): Sandy Alcantara (3rd)
For the third consecutive Opening Day, the Marlins will hand the ball to Sandy Alcantara, who had another strong year in 2021, posting a 3.19 ERA and striking out 201 batters in 205 2/3 innings pitched. When he takes the mound for the Marlins' season opener in San Francisco, Alcantara will pull into a tie with Josh Johnson and Josh Beckett for the most Opening Day starts in club history. More >
2021 OD starter: Alcantara

Mets (at WSH): Tylor Megill (1st)
With Jacob deGrom sidelined and Max Scherzer's readiness for Opening Day in doubt, the Mets will turn to Megill. As a rookie in 2021, Megill made 18 starts, posting a 4.52 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 99 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings.
2021 OD starter: deGrom

Nationals (vs. NYM): Patrick Corbin (2nd)
After a 10-year run in which either Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg started for the Nats on Opening Day, Corbin will get the assignment in 2022. The left-hander, who previously started on Opening Day for the D-backs in 2018, is seeking a rebound season after posting a 5.50 ERA in 42 starts across 2020-21. More >
2021 OD starter: Scherzer

Phillies (vs. OAK): Aaron Nola (5th)
Nola will be making his fifth consecutive Opening Day start for the Phillies, which was pretty much a foregone conclusion after staff ace Zack Wheeler entered Spring Training behind schedule on his throwing program. Nola will become the first Phillies pitcher to start at least five straight Opening Day games since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton did so from 1977-86. More >
2021 OD starter: Nola

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers (at CHC): Corbin Burnes (1st)
It's no surprise that the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the NL gets the nod for the Brewers' opener. He led the Majors with a 2.43 ERA in 2021, just two years after posting an 8.82 mark in 49 innings in '19. Burnes' start snaps a two-year streak from Brandon Woodruff, who had been the first Brewers pitcher to start consecutive Opening Days since Yovani Gallardo from 2010-14. More >
2021 OD starter: Woodruff

Cardinals (vs. PIT): Adam Wainwright (6th)
With Jack Flaherty on the shelf, the Cardinals have tabbed Wainwright for his sixth career Opening Day start, his first since 2016 -- only Bob Gibson (10) has started more openers in the club's long history. Wainwright, who will be 40 years and 220 days old on April 7, will also be the second-oldest pitcher to make an Opening Day start for the Cards, trailing only Pete Alexander, who was 42 years and 49 days old for the 1929 opener. More >
2021 OD starter: Flaherty

Cubs (vs. MIL): Kyle Hendricks (3rd)
Hendricks will get the ball for his third consecutive Opening Day start after a down year in which he posted career highs in ERA (4.77) and WHIP (1.35) and his lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.98). While his 2021 opener was somewhat forgettable, in 2020, Hendricks kicked off the Cubs' season with a complete-game shutout, allowing three hits and striking out nine, also against the Brewers. More >
2021 OD starter: Hendricks

Pirates (at STL): JT Brubaker (1st)
Brubaker will get the ball on Opening Day for the Pirates, making him the seventh different Opening Day starter Pittsburgh has tabbed in as many seasons (since 2016: Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Iván Nova, Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, Chad Kuhl). Brubaker pitched to a 5.36 ERA in 24 starts last season, striking out 129 batters in 124 1/3 innings. More >
2021 OD starter: Kuhl

Reds (at ATL): Tyler Mahle (1st)
With Luis Castillo dealing with shoulder soreness, Mahle gets the nod for his first career Opening Day start following a pair of strong seasons for Cincinnati. In 2021, the right-hander posted a 3.75 ERA (127 ERA+) over 180 innings. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, he had a 3.59 ERA over 47 2/3 innings. Over those two seasons, he struck out 28 percent of the batters he faced. More >
2021 OD starter: Castillo

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

NL WEST

D-backs (vs. SD): Madison Bumgarner (8th)
Bumgarner will make his eighth Opening Day start, which is the third-most among active pitchers, trailing only Justin Verlander (12) and Clayton Kershaw (nine). This will be Bumgarner's third consecutive Opening Day start for the D-backs after he filled the same role for the Giants from 2014-17 and in 2019. This will also be the third consecutive year that he faces the Padres in Arizona's season opener. Bumgarner owns a 4.08 ERA through 39 2/3 innings on Opening Day.
2021 OD starter: Madison Bumgarner

Dodgers (at COL): Walker Buehler (1st)
After finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young Award race last season, Buehler will get the ball on Opening Day for the first time. It will mark the fourth straight season the Dodgers have had a different Opening Day starting pitcher from the previous year. More >
2021 OD starter: Clayton Kershaw

Giants (vs. MIA): Logan Webb (1st)
Despite signing one of the best pitchers on offer this offseason in Carlos Rodón, the Giants have tabbed 25-year-old Logan Webb for his first career Opening Day start. Webb came into his own in 2021, posting a 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 148 1/3 innings, but came on particularly strong in the second half, culminating in two outstanding starts in NLDS Games 1 and 5, over which he allowed just one run across 14 2/3 innings and struck out 17. More >
2021 OD starter: Kevin Gausman

Padres (at ARI): Yu Darvish (3rd)
For the second straight season, the Padres will turn to Darvish to start on Opening Day. Acquired from the Cubs in a December 2020 trade, Darvish earned an NL All-Star selection last year but went on to post a 6.16 ERA in the second half. More >
2021 OD starter: Darvish

Rockies (vs. LAD): Kyle Freeland (2nd)
Freeland will make his second Opening Day start for his hometown club at home. His first Opening Day start came in 2019 against the Marlins in Miami, where he tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Freeland ended his spring on a high note, allowing one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings pitched. More >
2021 OD starter: Germán Márquez