Oklahoma baseball: Three former Sooners start MLB openers
By Chip Rouse
Opening Day in Major League Baseball is a big event for sports fans every year. When three former Oklahoma baseball pitchers draw starting assignments on the same day to begin the MLB season, it’s an historic event.
That was the situation last Thursday, Opening Day of the 2018 MLB season. All 30 major league teams opened the season on the same day – and unusually early this year – for the first time in perhaps ever. It is somewhat traditional for a team’s best starting pitcher to draw the assignment in the opening game every major league season.
Last Thursday, three former Oklahoma Sooners were on the pitching mound to begin the season for the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers.
Garrett Richards, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who played at Oklahoma from 2007 to 2009, was the opening day starter for the Angels this season, who opened up on the road against the Oakland Athletics. Richards is in his eighth season with the Angels. The former first-round draft pick has started 100 games for the Angels and owns a career record of 40-34 with an ERA of 3.56.
Coming back from an injury that cost him to miss most of last season, Richards pitched five full innings in the Angels’ 2018 season opener with Oakland. He gave up four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, struck out four and walked three. He was not the pitcher of record, however, as the Athletics scored in the home half of the 11th inning to walk off with a 6-5 victory.
The Colorado Rockies opened the season on the road at the Arizona Diamondbacks. On the hill to start the season for the Rockies was Jon Gray, known as Jonathan in the two seasons he played at the University of Oklahoma.
Gray was drafted No, 3 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Rockies, tied for the highest draft selection in Sooner baseball history. He has been on the Colorado active roster for three full seasons, over which time he has made 59 starts and compiled a record of 20-17, with a 4.43 ERA.
On Opening Day last week, the ex-Sooner right-hander pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits. He struck out four batters and walked three. He didn’t get much offensive support from his Colorado teammates and was credited with the loss in an 8-2 Arizona victory.
The third former Sooner pitcher to draw the starting assignment for his team on Opening Day this season was Chase Anderson of the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson was drafted in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB Draft, the same year as OU teammate Garrett Richards, by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Anderson made his major-league debut in 2014 with the Diamondbacks. He spent two seasons with Arizona before being traded to Milwaukee. He is 36-28 in his major-league career with a 3.83 ERA.
Anderson enjoyed by far the best outing of the three former Sooners who pitched on Opening Day. The Milwaukee starter lasted six innings against the San Diego Padres, allowing no runs and only one hit, striking out six and yielding three bases on balls. Despite the impressive start, Anderson did not factor in the decision. Milwaukee won 2-1 in 12 innings.
All three former OU pitchers are expected to play major roles this season in the starting rotation for their respective major-league teams.