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Washington Nationals' Opening Day Starter Will Make History Not Seen Since Stephen Strasburg

MacKenzie Gore will get the ball for the Nationals on Opening Day when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Brady Farkas

Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) warms-up before Spring Training activities on Feb. 15.
Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) warms-up before Spring Training activities on Feb. 15. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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The Washington Nationals are hosting the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day, March 27.

Coming off a fourth-place finish in the National League East, Washington is looking to solidify itself as a wild card contender this season and with young pieces like Dylan Crews and James Wood, they just might be able to do it.

Recently, the Nationals announced that left-hander MacKenzie Gore will make the start on Opening Day. It will be the first of his career and will make some team history not seen since Stephen Strasburg in 2014.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

The 26-year-old will become the youngest Opening Day starter for Washington since 25-year-old Stephen Strasburg in 2014.

Gore, a former top prospect who was acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade, is 21-26 lifetime with a 4.20 ERA. He's made 72 big-league starts, including 32 a season ago.

Armed with electric stuff, he struck out 181 batters in 166.1 innings last year. He went 10-12 as the Nats slumped in the standings.

Being paired with Strasburg in any Nationals history is largely a good thing for Gore, as he is one of the most decorated players in Nationals history.

Strasburg largely lived up to the hype up being one of most anticipated careers in recent memory. He was a three-time All-Star who went 113-62 with a lifetime 3.24 ERA. He made at least 22 starts every year from 2012-2019, led the league in wins in 2019 and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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