Right-hander Mitch Keller (27) is the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to run to the mound in the 2023 season.
Pittsburgh coach Derek Shelton announced Keller as the starter for the 2023 season opener in an interview with local media on the 16th (Korean time).
Keller will start the season opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on March 30 at 4:10 pm local time (5:10 am on the 31st in Korea time).
Cincinnati previously announced Hunter Green as the Opening Day starter. The two young guns face off for the starting lineup.
Keller was a 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft. In the preseason rankings of league prospects selected by ‘MLB.com’, he was ranked 16th in 2018 and 19th in 2019, receiving high expectations.
He debuted in the big leagues in 2019 and recorded 12 wins, 29 losses and an earned run average of 5.00 in 70 career games.
Although it fell short of his expectations,안전놀이터 the 2022 season finally unlocked its potential.
He threw 159 innings in 31 games, the most since his debut, and led the team’s starting rotation with a solid record of 5 wins and 12 losses with an earned run average of 3.91.
With this decision, Pittsburgh will have a different pitcher start the opening game for the seventh consecutive season.
Starting with Gerrit Cole in 2017, Ivan Nova (2018), Jameson Tyyon (2019), Joe Musgrove (2020), Chad Cool (2021), and JT Brubaker (2022) served as the Opening Day starters.