Angels Waste No Time on Opening Day Starter
Early into the start of Spring Training, the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, Ron Washington, made a quick call on who will be the Opening Day starter. Newly signed Yusei Kikuchi will get the nod. He joined during the offseason, signing a three-year deal worth $63 million. The Angels brought in multiple veteran arms in the offseason like Kyle Hendricks and long time closer Kenley Jansen. This will be Kikuchi’s first Opening Day start of his career.
The seventh year lefty pitcher will be appearing for his fourth team in his career. After starting his career with the Seattle Mariners, the Angels will be Kikuchi’s third AL West team. He is coming off arguably a career year last season, posting an ERA of just over four and a total of 206 strikeouts. Currently, Kikuchi is the highest paid pitcher on the Angels roster, so the decision does make sense.
He is getting the nod over some pretty notable Angel pitchers. Tyler Anderson, who is entering his third year with the Angels, had a very strong season in 2024. He was probably the closest competition to Kikuchi for the Opening Day start. Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano, two young arms, were also potential options. Patrick Sandoval was named the Opening Day starter last season, but he is no longer on the team.
As far as Kikuchi’s Spring Training usage, he will be pitching once every six days. All of the other starting pitchers are expected to make one extra start. His first start in the spring is still to be determined, but might happen next week. After hearing about the news that he will be on the mound, Kikuchi took it as an honor. Angel fans on Opening Day can expect a very useful slider from their new ace. He also likes to mix a fastball, curveball, and changeup against hitters. Looking ahead to Opening Day, which is on March 27th, the Angels and Kikuchi will open up on the road against the Chicago White Sox. In six career starts against the White Sox, Kikuchi has a record of 2-2 and a 4.85 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
