Blue Jays: Jose Berrios tabbed as Opening Day starter

José Berríos will be the Opening Day starter for the Toronto Blue Jays as they begin their season at home against the Baltimore Orioles on March 27. This marks the third time Berríos, 30, has been given the Opening Day nod with the Blue Jays, having previously started in 2022 against the Texas Rangers and in 2023 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Before joining Toronto, he also had two Opening Day starts with the Minnesota Twins.

Berríos will face Zach Eflin, whom the Blue Jays also opposed on Opening Day in 2024 when he pitched for the Rays. Kevin Gausman is set to start the second game of the series, but manager John Schneider has not yet finalized the rest of the rotation. The remaining three starters will likely be Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, and Bowden Francis, assuming no injuries arise.

Gausman had a challenging 2024 season, finishing with a 14-11 record, a 3.83 ERA, and 162 strikeouts over 181 innings. The Orioles have not announced their full rotation for the four-game series, but with Corbin Burnes now on the West Coast and Grayson Rodriguez expected to start the season on the injured list, they are likely to choose from Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, and Tomoyuki Sugano.

Berríos has impressed in spring training, posting a 2.35 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 15.1 innings. Last season, he finished 16-11 with a 3.60 ERA and 153 strikeouts across 192.1 innings.

This raises an interesting question—how significant is the honor of being an Opening Day starter in Major League Baseball?

Baseball is a sport deeply rooted in tradition. Many customs and rituals have been preserved over the years, sometimes making it difficult for new ideas to gain acceptance. One such tradition is the designation of the Opening Day starter, a decision that often generates significant discussion each spring. Fans and analysts speculate on who will get the ball, and for some pitchers, it is a career milestone.

While the selection of an Opening Day starter is often based on performance, tradition also plays a role. Teams aim to begin the season with their best pitcher on the mound, but they may also take into account a veteran’s tenure or popularity with fans. In some cases, a new ace will immediately earn the role (e.g., Jacob deGrom with the 2023 Texas Rangers), while in others, a longtime team member might get the nod over a slightly more talented newcomer. Injuries can also affect these decisions, as pitchers may adjust their schedules to ensure they are available for Opening Day.

Ultimately, Opening Day is a big deal, but the level of importance depends on perspective. To put its significance into context, a comparison can be made between Opening Day starters and All-Star selections. The question is: is it rarer to be an Opening Day starter or an All-Star pitcher?

Using data from Sean Lahman’s database for All-Star selections and Baseball Reference for Opening Day starts, we can analyze trends from 2000-2021 (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). During this period, there were 630 Opening Day starts—30 per season over 21 seasons. However, when accounting for repeat starters, only 271 unique pitchers held the honor.

More than half (50.6%) of those 271 pitchers started on Opening Day only once. This suggests that while the role is prestigious, it is often distributed among many different pitchers over time.

On the All-Star side, there were 596 total pitcher selections over the same period, averaging about 28 per year. Since this includes relief pitchers, the comparison is not exact, but it still provides valuable context. In total, 314 pitchers earned at least one All-Star selection, meaning there were more individual All-Stars than Opening Day starters.

Interestingly, 52.7% of All-Star pitchers made only one appearance, a slightly higher percentage than the one-time Opening Day starters. This highlights that both honors are somewhat exclusive, though becoming an All-Star is slightly more common.

While neither distinction is inherently more meaningful, the relative scarcity of Opening Day starters compared to All-Star selections is noteworthy. Being an All-Star carries long-term recognition, while Opening Day starts tend to receive attention only during spring training. Still, for many pitchers, earning the ball on Opening Day is a point of pride and a reflection of their standing within the team.

Best of luck to José Berríos as he takes the mound on Opening Day!

Reno Silva/MS