SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – April 8: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb walks onto the field for the team’s season opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday, April 8, 2022. (Karl Mondon /Bay Area News Group)
NEW YORK — Under blue skies, with first-pitch temperatures a few degrees above freezing, the San Francisco Giants open their season Thursday at Yankee Stadium. As rare as their home season opener in 2022 was, opening on the East Coast, in one of baseball’s greatest settings, is a big first.
The last time the Giants started a season outside of the Pacific time zone was in 2016 in Milwaukee. They’ve done it just twice since 2010. And, batting .500 in their last 10 season openers, they’d gladly take any result (a 12-3 win at Milwaukee and 5-2 at Houston in 2010).
Opening Day is special, no matter the setting. But in the Bronx, under the iconic white facade, with monuments to the greats behind the center field wall only adds to it. And we haven’t even mentioned Aaron Judge yet. Oh!
“Opening day for us is a big stage. This is a bigger stage than I think people give it credit for,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Your heart beats faster. You sweat a little more. Your adrenaline is gone. it’s a thing. It’s not BS. The lights come on, the pressure builds a little more.”
It will be Logan Webb, making his second Opening Day start, against Gerrit Cole, making his fourth for the Yankees.
We’ll update this space with the Opening Day rosters once they’re released.
For now, here are three stories to watch:
1. Go Striped: For the 17th straight season, the Giants were expected to start a different left fielder on Opening Day. Until rosters are released, the most likely candidate appeared to be Blake Sabol, the Rule 5 catcher forced back into the outfield due to injuries. At full health, it should be newly signed Mitch Haniger and fellow free agent Michael Conforto at corners, but for now it should be Sabol versus Conforto. Last year’s starter Joc Pederson remains on the list, but the Giants are happy to see the streak reach 17 as they want to see Pederson in the outfield as little as possible.
2. Brotherly love: Another streak expected to reach 12 years: Brandon Crawford’s Opening Day streak begins at shortstop. It’s the third longest in the club’s history in San Francisco, and Crawford is in good company (Willie Mays, Barry Bonds). But this one should be very special, with his brother-in-law Gerrit Cole on the mound. There will be a large contingent of Crawfords and Coles on hand, but their divided loyalties aren’t a relaxing experience, Brandon included. “It’s not a fun at-bat,” said Crawford, who is 6-for-20 (.300) with a home run against his brother-in-law. Will the streak reach 13? Crawford’s contract expires after this season and he has said that he is looking at his future.
3. Judgment Day: While there will likely always be a different face in left field this year, they were hopeful the new guy would line up alongside a 6-foot-7 force in center field. That big man, Aaron Judge, will be roaming center field at Yankee Stadium, but he’ll be wearing pinstripes, not road gray. While Kapler and his players this spring made it clear their missed offseason goals were in the past, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said he hoped facing Judge would provide them with “additional motivation.” . Meanwhile, they will miss Carlos Rodón, who is out with a sprained forearm.
likely pitchers
Thursday, March 30 (10:05 a.m. PT) – RHP Logan Webb vs. RHP Gerrit Cole | TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Saturday, April 1 (1:05 p.m. PT) – RHP Alex Cobb vs. RHP Clarke Schmidt | TV: FOX
Sunday, April 2 (10:35 a.m. PT) – RHP Ross Stripling vs. RHP Domingo German | TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
