Texas Rangers don’t know opponent or date, but they’ve named an Opening Day starter
The announcement Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward made Thursday afternoon had been planned since mid-March.
The coronavirus pandemic came along and postponed that and so many other things.
Alas, with the 2020 MLB season now planned, Woodward was comfortable naming right-hander Lance Lynn as the Rangers’ starter on Opening Day.
The Rangers don’t know the opponent, location or if they will be opening July 23 or July 24. But they know what Lynn did last season as one of the top pitchers in the American League, and his reward is the first Opening Day start of his career.
Left-hander Mike Minor, who started the 2019 lid-lifter and was an All-Star, was the other option.
“I went back and forth with Lance and Mike,” Woodward said. “I know I gave it to Mike last year and I talked to Mike about this. He did nothing to not deserve this start this year. I felt like I gave it to Mike last year kind of weighing both of them. This year I felt like I’ll give it to Lance. And Mike was very understanding of that. Both of them had a heck of a year.”
Newcomer Corey Kluber, who won two Cy Young awards with the Cleveland Indians, was thought to be another candidate, but Woodward said that he was influenced by what Lynn and Minor did for the Rangers in 2019.
Lynn finished fifth in Cy Young balloting after going 16-11 with a 3.67 ERA. He posted career-highs in innings (208 1/3) and strikeouts (246), and his 875 batters faced led the league.
Minor finished eighth in Cy Young voting with a 14-10 record and a 3.59 ERA. He also posted career-highs in innings (208 1/3) and strikeouts (200), but his strong season was knocked off course with a lousy July amid rumors as the trade deadline approached.
“I do want to speak one behalf of Mike and Corey,” Woodward said. “When we traded for Corey Kluber, a lot of people told me, ‘OK, you’ve got your Opening Day starter.’ I thought it was a little bit — I wouldn’t say disrespectful to Lance and Mike because I know Corey is a tremendous pitcher and a two-time Cy Young winner — but what Lance and Mike have done for our ballclub the last couple of years, especially last year, they deserve that start.”
