AT
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Game 1: Monday, April 6th, 2009
First Pitch: 4:05pm (EST)
Probable Starters: CC Sabathia, LHP (Yankees) / Jeremy Guthrie, RHP (Orioles)
Yankees: The Yankees prioritized starting pitching immediately after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and set their sights on Sabathia, who inked a seven-year, $161 million deal during the Winter Meetings.
In 35 combined starts with the Indians and Brewers, Sabathia led the Majors in innings pitched (253), complete games (10) and shutouts (five), ranking second in strikeouts (251) and fourth in ERA. Despite the midseason trade to Milwaukee, Sabathia finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting and sixth in NL MVP voting. With a 117-73 career record, Sabathia's .616 winning percentage is the 12th highest among left-handers with as many or more decisions (190) since 1900.
This will be Sabathia's sixth career Opening Day start, and Sabathia leads all active Major Leaguers under the age of 29 in career wins (117), strikeouts (1,393) and innings pitched (1,659.1).
Orioles: The Orioles may have waited until an appropriate moment to name Jeremy Guthrie their Opening Day starter, but it's a role that virtually everybody in the organization knew he would fill. Guthrie was far and away Baltimore's most effective starting pitcher in 2008 and has been outstanding since arriving as a waiver claim in '07. Back then, he was a floundering former prospect with Cleveland, but he's managed to fulfill his potential in Baltimore.
Guthrie will become one of just four starters in the last 20 years -- along with Rick Sutcliffe, Rodrigo Lopez and Mike Mussina -- to start on Opening Day in consecutive years for the Orioles. Guthrie, a former first-round draftee, is the only member of last year's rotation to remain in the same role. The Orioles will keep him on his turn as often as possible, meaning that he'll likely throw again on April 11.
Guthrie was a true standout last season, finishing seventh in the American League in opponents' batting average (.242), 14th in ERA (3.63) and top 25 in both starts (30) and innings (190 2/3). Guthrie made 19 quality starts last season, and 10 of them followed a Baltimore loss. At one point, in fact, he threw six straight quality starts.
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Game 2: Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
First Pitch: 7:05pm (EST)
Probable Starters: Chien-Ming Wang, RHP (Yankees) / Koji Uehara, RHP (Orioles)
Yankees: Wang made 15 starts for the Yankees last season before his year ended due to a right foot injury suffered while running the bases on June 15 at Houston. The blow was crushing to the Yankees, as they were 12-3 in games the right-handed sinkerballer had started. Despite missing much of last year, Wang's 46 victories since 2006 are tied for third-most in the American League and eighth-most in the Majors. His .754 combined winning percentage over the past three seasons is the second highest in the big leagues, behind only Boston's Jon Lester. Wang did not face the Orioles in 2008 and is 3-1 with a 5.13 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) against Baltimore.
Orioles: Uehara, a former ace of the Yomiuri Giants, will make his Major League debut in the second game of the season. Uehara is undefeated in international competition in his career and was highly decorated in his homeland, winning his league's equivalent of the Rookie of the Year Award once and the Cy Young award twice. Now, Uehara has come to the United States for a new challenge and will immediately slot in as one of Baltimore's most experienced pitchers. Uehara, who learned a circle changeup in Spring Training, is known as an extreme strike-thrower.
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Game 3: Thursday, April 9th, 2009
First Pitch: 1:35pm (EST)
Probable Starters: AJ Burnett, RHP (Yankees) / Alfredo Simon, RHP (Orioles)
Yankees: Burnett makes his Yankees debut after signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract as a free agent in December. He recorded new career highs in wins, innings pitched (221 1/3) and strikeouts (231) for the Blue Jays last year, leading the American League in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings (9.39). Burnett is 26-8 with a 3.08 ERA in 45 career starts against AL East competition, and since 2000, is tied for sixth in the Majors in shutouts (nine) and ranks ninth in lowest opponents' average (.235). Burnett was 2-1 with a 9.82 ERA in three starts vs. Baltimore in 2008 and is 7-1 with a 4.97 ERA in nine career starts against the Orioles.
Orioles: Simon, a reclaimation project out of the Mexican League, arrived late to Spring Training due to visa issues in his native Dominican Republic and then set about decimating the competition. Simon pitched to a 1.13 ERA in four spring appearances to cement a rotation slot, hurdling over a host of other competitors. The right-hander was the first signee of Baltimore's renewed commitment to international signings and pitched for the Orioles late last season.
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