Welcome to the Age of the Opener, where any pitcher can become a starter. On Monday, that honor was bestowed upon Milwaukee Brewers reliever Dan Jennin.
Over the course of his seven year career, Dan Jennings has made 381 appearances. Whether those outings came with the White Sox, the Rays, or the Marlins, every one of those appearances were as a reliever. When Jennings signed with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, that streak continued, as the Brewers were content to use him in specific matchups against tough lefty hitters.
His usage over his career showed that role really did not change. Yes, Jennings had 381 appearances, but he only threw 343.2 innings. Only once in his career did he have more innings than games pitched, when he threw 56.1 innings in 53 games in 2015. Otherwise, Jennings has essentially been a lefty specialist, facing a few batters at a time.
Then, on Monday, everything changed. Jennings was used as a starter for the Brewers in their game against the Cardinals, a game that had major implications on the postseason. The Brewers and Cardinals are fighting for the Wild Card, and every one of the games in this series matters. It was seemingly not a time for experimentation.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
And yet, there was Jennings, taking the ball in the top of the first with Matt Carpenter at the plate. His first pitch of the at bat was a slider, hitting the lower inside corner for a strike. His second pitch, a 91 MPH fastball, was low and inside. On his third pitch, another slider, Jennings was able to get Carpenter to ground out to second. It was a successful beginning to his first career start.
As it turned out, that was the entirety of his start. Jennings was taken out after facing Carpenter, replaced by Freddy Peralta. The Opener had done his job, facing that one tough batter at the start of the game and getting a needed out. With the Brewers deep bullpen, and the additional arms brought up due to roster expansion, the Brewers could afford to use Jennings in that situation.
Chances are, there will not be many more starts in Jennings’ future. Even with the increasing popularity of the Opener, that is not really the type of role that he will fulfill often. His role is to come in in specific situations when the game is on the line, facing that difficult lefty hitter in hopes that he can stop a rally. Maybe, Jennings will get another start in the future with expanded rosters, but he is not likely to become Ryne Stanek.
The Milwaukee Brewers let Dan Jennings start a game. It went as predictably as one could imagine, as he faced a single left handed hitter.