Marcus Stroman, Chris Archer put on an opening day pitching show
One of the draws from the opening day game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays was the pitching matchup pitting Marcus Stroman against Chris Archer. In a battle of two of baseball’s rising stars, who happen to be good friends, Stroman and Archer didn’t disappoint on the big stage.
Stroman allowed three runs and struck out five over eight innings to earn the win as Toronto beat Tampa Bay 5-3, while Archer racked up 12 strikeouts in just five innings, the most strikeouts we’ve seen in an opening day start since Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez did the same in 2007.
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The two young pitchers facing off on opening day this year was strangely fitting, too. Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes that Stroman, who was recovering from knee surgery, spent the occasion in 2015 at Tropicana Field as one of Archer’s guests. Safe to say while the Blue Jays’ right-hander appreciated Archer’s tickets, he enjoyed the view this time a little more.
Stroman used his sinker to great effect, generating 14 of the 23 outs he recorded on the ground. If he can perform at that level on a consistent basis this season, Toronto has to feel great about their ability to defend their AL East title.
[Related: Who needs spring training? Edwin Encarnacion starts off hot]
The Blue Jays’ dynamic offense worked Archer for two runs in the first inning and his pitch count wouldn’t recover, reaching 107 pitches through five innings, but boy was the quality of his stuff on point, as evidence by the 12 K’s. The Jays were among the teams that struck out the least last year, so to get them to swing and miss that often is an accomplishment.
They may be good friends, but this is an individual rivalry we’re excited to watch grow. Round one went to Stroman, but like the season, this back-and-forth is just beginning.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
