The first Blue Jays pitcher to take to the hill in the 2022 MLB season has been named.
Jose Berrios will be the Opening Day starter for Toronto, the team announced on Thursday. It's the third time he has gotten the nod for the first game of the season, previously starting on Opening Day in 2019 and 2020 for the Twins.
Make way for José 🦾@JOLaMaKina is our #OpeningDay starter! pic.twitter.com/PbSwKvsDKE
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 31, 2022
The right-handed pitcher was acquired mid-season last year from the Twins before signing a seven-year, $131 million extension this offseason.
He finished last season with a record of 5-4 with the Blue Jays, including a 3.58 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 12 games. Combining his Blue Jays and Twins starts in 2021, Berrios finished the season 12-9, with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 32 starts.
The 27-year-old will go head-to-head against Jon Gray, who was named as the Opening Day starter for the Rangers.
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When is Blue Jays Opening Day?
Toronto kicks off the season with their matchup against the Rangers on Friday, April 8 at the Rogers Centre. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET.
While it's the first game for those two squads, it is not the official Opening Day for MLB. The regular season officially gets under way on Thursday, April 7 with 18 teams in action.
How has Jose Berrios pitched in Opening Day starts?
Berrios has two Opening Day starts under his belt and the two of them could not have gone in more opposite directions.
In 2020, Berrios faced the White Sox and the team from South Side teed off on the Twins pitcher. Berrios lasted just four innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while recording just one K.
However, in the 2019 opener, he was lights out against Cleveland. Berrios pitched 7.2 innings for the Twins, giving up zero runs on two hits, surrendering one walk and striking out 10.
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What is the Blue Jays pitching rotation?
While it's not 100% set yet, Charlie Montoyo announced the tentative rotation he expects to start the 2022 season with.
#BlueJays manager Charlie Montoyo announces Jose Berrios as opening day starter
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 31, 2022
Jays plan to follow him with Gausman, Ryu, Manoah, Kikuchi
The Blue Jays signed Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi this offseason to round out their starting pitching. Alex Manoah made his MLB debut last season in May, so this will be his first full season as a starter in the Blue Jays rotation.
Hyun-Jin Ryu is the only pitcher to be a part of the 2021 and 2022 Opening Day rotations. He was also their Opening Day starter last season.
