The curtain goes up on a history-making season tonight at the Rogers Centre.
After a strictly Canadian scoreboard presentation, Roy Halladay takes the mound against the Detroit Tigers.
And the rest of way ... well, get ready.
For the first time in this their 33rd year, the Blue Jays open the season with three arms in their starting rotation with less than 66 innings of major league experience to their names.
In manager Cito Gaston's eyes, lefty David Purcey is still a rookie, although Purcey can't win the American League rookie of the year award, missing out on qualifying by 15 innings.
Gaston will be running out Purcey (65 innings) tomorrow night, former No. 1 pick Ricky Romero (making his major league debut Thursday afternoon) and Scott Richmond (27 innings) at Jacobs Field in the home opener for the Cleveland Indians.
Basically three starts out of every five go to rookies.
"It's going to be a challenge, that's for sure," Alex Rios said. "They're young guys. Not much experience, but I've seen all three either last year or this spring -- they're good."
The old Boston Braves had a theme to get past their pitching woes:
"Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. And pray for rain."
What phrase best typifies the Jays starters?
"Halladay and Jeese Litsch.
"And hope the roof has a mechanical glitch."
Gaston thought long and hard about the last time he had seen a rotation with three green starters.
"Not here," Gaston said. "Maybe when I broke in with the San Diego Padres."
Gaston was a rookie with the 1969 Padres, an expansion team.
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