As the Boston Red Sox gear up for Opening Day, manager Alex Cora has decided who will start the team's first game of the season. Cora has chosen to go with one of the Red Sox's newest pitchers on their roster.
Corey Kluber will be Boston's Opening Day starter, via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While the news is just breaking now, Cora said he told Kluber he would be starting Opening Day back in January.
The Red Sox signed Kluber to a one-year, $10 million contract earlier this offseason. With a club option for 2024, Kluber will have an opportunity to prove he belongs in Boston as early as Opening Day.
Kluber is coming to the Sox after spending a season with their AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. He started 31 games for the Rays, going 10-10 with a 4.34 ERA and a 139/21 K/BB ratio. Despite being 36-years-old, Kluber's 31 starts were his most since 2018. His 21 walks were a career-low in a season where Kluber pitched at least 100 innings.
Corey Kluber has been in the MLB since 2011. Over 113 total games, Kluber has pitched to a 113-71 record with a 3.31 ERA and a 1,683/347 K/BB ratio. He's a three-time All Star and a two-time Cy Young winner.
The Red Sox are coming off a season in which they had a team ERA of 4.53, ranking 25th in all of the MLB. They'll need more from their pitching staff if they want to make a postseason run. As they enter the upcoming season, Alex Cora wants Kluber to be a leader of that pitching staff.
Starting on Opening Day.
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