No surprises as SF Giants announce Opening Day starter

The SF Giants wasted no time in clarifying one role on Opening Day. Manager Bob Melvin told Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area that Logan Webb would be the Opening Day starter.

No surprises as SF Giants announce Opening Day starter

Webb will be making his fourth-straight start on Opening Day and he will be looking for his first win. He recorded a no decision against the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres in 2022 and 2024, respectively, and tallied a loss against the New York Yankees in 2023.

Once Webb makes the start, he will tie Tim Lincecum four the third-most Opening Day starts in franchise history. Lincecum made four straight starts beginning in 2009.

Only Juan Marichal and Madison Bumgarner have made more Opening Day starts in franchise history. Bumgarner made five Opening Day starts for the Giants. He made four straight starts beginning in 2014 and then made his final one in 2019.

Bumgarner would have made the Opening Day start in 2018 but sustained a fractured finger in the final week of spring training. Ty Blach filled in for him that year on Opening Day.

Webb could reach Bumgarner as soon as next year. It may be a while before he catchers Marichal. The Giants Hall of Fame pitcher made 10 starts on Opening Day for the club. That is a tough number to beat.

The right-handed pitcher is the obvious choice for the Giants as he has anchored the rotation for several seasons. He is coming off another solid season in which he tallied a 3.47 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, and a 3.44 SO/W rate in 33 starts. It was the second straight year in which he finished in the top-10 of the NL Cy Young voting and he earned his first NL All-Star nod as well.

Webb has become a workhorse. He has made at least 30 starts in each of the past three years and has led the NL in innings pitched since the start of 2023.

Mike Krukow (3), Vida Blue (2), and Kirk Reuter (2) are some other popular Giants pitchers along with Webb who have made multiple Opening Day starts. Oddly, Matt Cain only made one as Tim Lincecum took the majority of those starts early in his career followed by Madison Bumgarner later on.

The Opening Day start is a nice reward for pitchers who have not only thrown well but mean a lot to the organization. Webb is very deserving.