The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here. MLB Opening Day 2023 has arrived, and the Yankees get to kick things off with Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, and friends in the Bronx against the San Francisco Giants.
Here’s what the probable starting pitcher matchups are looking like for New York’s first regular-season series of the year.
Thursday at 1:05 pm ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Logan Webb
Gerrit Cole had some issues with the home run ball in 2022 (he allowed 33), but he still had a typical year. That included a 3.50 ERA, 3.3 fWAR, and a 32.4% strikeout rate in 200.2 innings. He’s the workhorse and the dude that sets the tone for the rest of the pitching staff.
Facing him is the Giants’ ace, Logan Webb. He’s fresh off an 11th-place finish in National League Cy Young voting thanks to a 2.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 4.2 fWAR in 192 innings of work in 2022. While they don’t carry nearly as much weight as they used to, the right-hander also tallied up 15 wins.
Saturday at 4:05 pm ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Alex Cobb
Thanks to both Carlos Rodon and Luis Severino starting 2023 on the injured list, Clarke Schmidt finds himself getting the call for New York’s rotation. It’ll be just his sixth MLB start overall (one in 2020, one in 2021, and three in 2022). Across 57.2 innings last year, Schmidt twirled a 3.12 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. He struggled in the postseason, allowing three runs on five hits (two homers), two walks, and one strikeout in 2.1 frames.
Alex Cobb is back for his second year by the Bay. The first one was pretty good, too. In 149.2 innings, the veteran right-hander twirled a 3.73 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 3.7 fWAR. He’s pitched against the Yankees a bunch thanks to his time with the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. Across 19 games (18 starts), Cobb owns a 7-5 record with a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP against the Bombers.
Sunday at 1:35 pm ET: Domingo German vs. Ross Stripling
Domingo German has pitched just 170 innings for the Yankees over the past two years. However, the multitude of injuries also has him included in the rotation for now. He tossed 72.1 of those innings in 2022, leading to a 3.61 ERA and 0.7 fWAR. German did struggle across 10.1 frames in spring training, posting an 8.71 ERA with three hit batsmen, one walk, and 11 strikeouts.
Ross Stripling is a familiar face for New York because he spent the last two years north of the border with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 2022 campaign was of the bounce-back variety for the right-hander, as it resulted in a 3.01 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 134.1 innings pitched. Stripling has faced the Yankees seven times, with four of them being starts. He’s 0-5 with a 4.55 ERA across 27.2 innings.
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You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
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