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MLB Opening Day: Pitching matchups for all 15 games

By West Jones

Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after the final out of the top of the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after the final out of the top of the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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In MLB’s current era, the starting pitcher has taken on a different role from years past. Instead of having the mindset to get their team through the seventh, eighth, or even ninth inning, the majority of the starters are asked to get through the lineup two times, and if they are an elite pitcher, possibly a third.

Despite the changed role of the starter, there is still something engrained in baseball fans that make them look forward to checking out the daily pitching matchups. If a fan is going to a game, that is probably one of the first things that he or she does is to look up who will start on the bump for both teams.

With that in mind, here is a breakdown of all 15 starting pitching matchups for Opening Day 2023. MLB has gotten it right and has all 30 teams scheduled for Thursday so no fan base will have to wait an extra day to see their team take the field. Out of the 15-game slate, there are 11 day games and four night games. Check out these marquee pitching matchups for Opening Day, as you decide who you will want to watch during the 12-hour MLB baseball marathon on Thursday.

1:05 PM ET San Francisco Giants – Logan Webb @ New York Yankees – Gerrit Cole

The season will kick off with one of the top pitching matchups of the day. With a balanced schedule this year and the lack of the designated hitter, interleague games are not quite the novelty they used to be, but they are still exciting … especially when you pit two of the most storied franchises against each other on Opening Day in Yankee Stadium.

26-year-old Logan Webb is coming off of the best season of his young career. Last year, he started 32 games, pitched 192.1 innings, posted a 2.90 ERA, 1.159 WHIP, had 163 strikeouts, and walked 49. The Giants will be looking to get back to the playoffs in 2023 after missing out last year. If they do, Webb will be a reason why it happens.

Gerritt Cole is easily one of the best pitchers in MLB. He is the ace of a Yankee team that is desperate to not just get to the playoffs, but to capture another championship. Cole was selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of UCLA. His career hasn’t been a disappointment, as he is a five-time All-Star and has finished runner-up in the Cy Young voting both in 2019 and 2021. Cole is a strikeout machine, as he boasts a 34.9% K rate since 2018.

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