The 5 most intriguing Opening Day pitching matchups

As if there weren’t enough reason already to look forward to all the season-opening MLB games, Friday brought the announcement of each team’s Opening Day starting pitcher. That’s the sort of thing that makes it all feel real: We know who’s going to be walking out there to the mound for the first pitch. It’s all happening.

All of the matchups are interesting in their own way, but here are the five that really stand out -- listed in order of start time.

Logan Webb (SF) vs. Max Fried (NYY)
Wed., March 25, 8 p.m. ET, Netflix

Sure, in an ideal world, Gerrit Cole would be back for this one, but having Fried -- who did finish fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting last year, after all -- is a more than adequate consolation prize. (This is Fried’s fourth Opening Day start: He made three with the Braves, from 2021-23.)

This is the fifth straight Opening Day start for Webb, and why wouldn’t it be? He has finished in the top 11 in NL Cy Young voting for four straight years. And while he’s always been underrated, seeing him in the World Baseball Classic was a reminder of just how quietly outstanding he continues to be.

Paul Skenes (PIT) vs. Freddy Peralta (NYM)
Thu., March 26, 1:15 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

How long will Skenes be able to keep his career ERA under 2.00? (It remains, absurdly, at 1.96.) He’ll get an immediate challenge with the Mets lineup, which has fortified itself around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, who sure looks like he’s going to be ready for Opening Day. Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil may be out, but Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien are in.

Speaking of fortified, Peralta should do that for the Mets’ rotation after reuniting with David Stearns, his former general manager in Milwaukee. His team debut comes on Opening Day in Flushing, N.Y. Remember, Freddy: You never get a second chance to make a first impression. (Particularly with Mets fans.)

Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs. Andrew Abbott (CIN)
Thu., March 26, 4:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV

It is obviously a bummer that the injured Hunter Greene isn’t the pitcher making the Opening Day start for the Reds. But it’s also likely that not enough people are appreciating how good Abbott was last year. His numbers -- a 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, eighth in Cy Young voting -- were in the general ballpark of his Opening Day counterpart from Boston.

Crochet, of course, is one of the best pitchers in baseball and a centerpiece of Boston’s hopes for this season. It’s tough to find two more exciting young lefties than these two.

Zac Gallen (AZ) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
Thu., March 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock

Gallen returns to make his fourth straight Opening Day start for a team that, like, Gallen, looked like it had more changes coming heading into the offseason than it ultimately did.

The Dodgers made one big offseason change in adding Kyle Tucker, but the story of this game is one of continuity. After all, Yamamoto will be on the mound to start the team’s opener. The last time the Dodgers played a game that counted? It was Yamamoto heroically closing out Game 7 of the World Series on zero days’ rest.

Cole Ragans (KC) vs. Chris Sale (ATL)
Fri., March 27, 7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV

You’ve sensed some newfound excitement for the Royals over the last month -- I’d argue largely because of the terrific World Baseball Classic performances from Bobby Witt Jr. for Team USA and Jac Caglianone and Vinnie Pasquantino for Team Italy. But if the Royals are going to reach the playoffs after a season away, it’s going to be because of their rotation, and the return of Ragans after an injury-plagued season will be of the utmost importance.

We’ll get an idea of how it’s going to work out here, against a pitcher who, of course, knows all about injuries. Sale originally came to the Braves almost as a luxury item for a rotation that was deep and talented without him. Now? They basically need him to be the old Sale again all season. These are two would-be contenders who desperately need these pitchers to be themselves right from the get-go.

BONUS MATCHUP

Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. TBD (SD)
Thu., March 26, 4:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV

This is a bonus because, well, the Padres are the one team that has yet to decide on an Opening Day starter. Could it be Michael King? Nick Pivetta? Time will tell.

But also, this would be a matchup to watch no matter who takes the ball for San Diego, because that pitcher will be opposing the best pitcher in the sport. Skubal is the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner who, don’t forget, is about to hit free agency after this season. Every pitch for Skubal this year will have outsized importance for both his next contract and his team’s hopes of ending a 41-season title drought. That’ll start with this game.