Maddon announces Opening Day starter for Cubs |
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon announced Tuesday that veteran pitcher
Jon Lester will be the Opening Day starter against the Miami Marlins.
Maddon could have gone with any of the top four Cubs starters for Opening Day but decided on going with the gritty veteran that could have a major bounce-back year in 2018. "I feel like I'm a little ahead of schedule, compared to last year," Lester said on Monday to MLB Network. One reason that Lester is getting the start is that the Marlins do not run as well as the Brewers and Maddon wanted to avoid Lester vs. a running team if possible. In 2017 in 32 starts, Lester had 13-8 record with 4.33 ERA, 180 strikeouts, and 1.32 WHIP. For his brilliant career, he has a 3.51 ERA with a record of 159 wins, 92 losses, and 2041 strikeouts. 34-year old Lester and Cubs fans are tied to each other for at least three more seasons as his contract runs out after the 2020 season. This is the seventh overall Opening Day start for Lester and the third with the Cubs. In case you were wondering, Carlos Zambrano has the most Opening Day starts in a row (2005-2010) in Cubs history. There was no announcement on the order of the rest of the rotation (2-5) for the regular season. Your 2018 #Cubs Opening Day starter:@JLester34 pic.twitter.com/xkQXXo4DQ8
