Most Opening Day Starts, last 8 years (2011 Phillies are loaded)
Posted by Andy on February 12, 2011
Check out which pitchers have made the most Opening Day starts in the last 8 seasons:
| Rk | Player | #Matching | W | L | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roy Oswalt | 8 | Ind. Games | 2 | 4 | .333 | 3.48 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.1 | 55 | 21 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 1.20 |
| 2 | Roy Halladay | 8 | Ind. Games | 4 | 3 | .571 | 4.00 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.0 | 56 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 1.26 |
| 3 | CC Sabathia | 7 | Ind. Games | 1 | 1 | .500 | 5.79 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.1 | 41 | 24 | 4 | 17 | 28 | 1.55 |
| 4 | Kevin Millwood | 7 | Ind. Games | 2 | 4 | .333 | 3.38 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.0 | 41 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 1.25 |
| 5 | Mark Buehrle | 7 | Ind. Games | 2 | 1 | .667 | 3.66 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.1 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 1.19 |
| 6 | Carlos Zambrano | 6 | Ind. Games | 1 | 2 | .333 | 6.99 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.1 | 34 | 22 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 1.91 |
| 7 | Ben Sheets | 6 | Ind. Games | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.52 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35.2 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 1.07 |
| 8 | Johan Santana | 5 | Ind. Games | 4 | 1 | .800 | 3.56 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.1 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 29 | 1.25 |
| 9 | Derek Lowe | 5 | Ind. Games | 2 | 3 | .400 | 6.00 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 | 32 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 1.43 |
| 10 | Aaron Harang | 5 | Ind. Games | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3.86 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 1.50 |
| 11 | Josh Beckett | 5 | Ind. Games | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2.96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.1 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 27 | 1.35 |
The Phillies are simply crushing it here, having the only two pitchers to start each of his team's Opening Day games in the last 8 seasons. Obviously one or both of those guys is going to have his streak broken this year since they can't hand the ball to both guys. Conceivably, they might hand it to Cliff Lee or Cole Hamels.
Incidentally, among Phillies' 2011 starters, Joe Blanton has started 1 Opening Day game, as has Lee. That's 18 among their stating staff. Amazingly, Cole Hamels (good enough to be an ace on a number of teams) has never done it, having been superseded by Brett Myers or Halladay each year.
Hat tip to Jayson Stark, who pointed out the 18 Opening Day starts by the Phillies' staff.
February 12th, 2011 at 9:07 am
When Kevin Milwood makes 7 of 8 opening day starts and when Aaron Harang makes over half of a teams opening day starts, you know their teams don't have a really good rotation, at least as of the opening day.
I am actually Very surprised Santana has only made 5
Ben Sheets is the only one with a CG.
February 12th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Well, Philadelphia has 4 players who have made an opening day start. Milwaukee has three. Does anyone else have three such players?
February 12th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Dr. Doom, I wouldn't think so. Could be wrong though of course.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Mike @1 re: Santana -- Yes, it's interesting that Johan didn't start Opening Day in 2005, after winning 20 games, the strikeout title and the Cy Young Award in '04. Brad Radke, the "established #1," got the O.D. assignment.
Unfortunately for us Mets fans, Santana's 5-year string of Opening Day starts will not continue this year.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
P.S. to my #4 -- Brad Radke made 9 Opening Day starts in the 10 years from 1996-2005.
Also: Other active pitchers with 5 or more Opening Day starts (besides those listed above):
-- 8, Livan Hernandez
-- 6, Bartolo Colon
-- 5, Tim Hudson
February 12th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Buehrle would be 8 for 8, but Contreras snuck one in there in '07. He (Contreras) was actually the best pitcher in baseball during late '05 to early '06
finished '05 going 8 - 0 with a 2.09 ERA
started '06 going 9 - 0 with a 3.31 ERA
(got a couple "cheap" wins at the end of that run in '06. When he was 7 - 0 his ERA was 2.62)
February 12th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
In both 2005 and '06, the Cubs opened on the road, Carlos Zambrano started, the Cubs scored 16 runs and won, but Zambrano got no decision, lifted after 4.2 IP. In the 2005 game, Zambrano left with a 9-3 lead, but he had just walked 2 straight to force in a run and Dusty Baker had seen enough.
On Opening Day 2008, Zambrano and Ben Sheets both pitched blanks into the 7th. The game was scoreless until the 9th, when Kerry Wood allowed 3 runs to the Brewers; but Eric Gagne needed only 3 batters to squander the lead, serving a 3-run HR to Kosuke Fukudome. Milwaukee scored in the 10th, and Gagne was credited with the win.
Last season, Zambrano got knocked out in the 2nd, charged with 8 runs , en route to a 16-5 loss.
February 12th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
@2
The Cardinals have 3 in Carpenter, Wainwright and Westbrook.
February 12th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
@2
Pretty sure the Red Sox have 4: Beckett, Dice-K, Lackey, and Wakefield.
February 13th, 2011 at 1:56 am
So Andy is counting out the Phillies as of Opening Day this year?!?!?!?!
February 13th, 2011 at 5:18 am
How many of you would have guessed that Ben Sheets had the best stats of the 11 listed pitchers?
February 13th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
so should we just go ahead, skip the season, and hand the Phillies the NL pennant this year?
Um.......actually, yeah, I think so.
February 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
I guess Sabathia gets off to bad starts....1-1 with 5.79 ERA in 7 opening days.