List of Miami Marlins Opening Day starting pitchers

Sun Life Stadium, the Marlins former home ballpark from 1993-2011

The Miami Marlins are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Miami, Florida. They play in the National League East division. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season,[1] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day.[2] The Marlins have used 14 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 24 seasons. Since the Marlins' first season in 1993, the 14 starters have a combined Opening Day record of ten wins and ten losses (1010).[3][4][5]

Seven Marlins pitchers have started on two or more Opening Days.[3] Those seven are Charlie Hough, Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Ryan Dempster, Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, and Josh Johnson.[3] Beckett holds the record for most Opening Day starts as a Marlin, with three appearances, from 2003 to 2005.[3] When playing at their home field of Land Shark Stadium, the Marlins have a record of seven wins and five losses (75).[3] In the franchise's history, Florida has only played Opening Day games at another team's home stadium six times.[3] As the away team, Marlins' starting pitchers have an Opening Day record of one win and four losses (13).[3]

The longest ever Opening Day winning streak for Marlins starting pitchers is two years, when Florida won in 2004 and 2005 under starting pitcher Josh Beckett.[3] The Marlins longest Opening Day losing streak for starting pitchers was the three losses that came in 1994, 1995, and 1996, under starting pitchers Charlie Hough (1994), John Burkett (1995), and Kevin Brown (1996).[3] The Marlins have won the World Series twice, in 1997 and 2003, and in those seasons, their starting pitchers had one loss and one no-decision on Opening Day.[3]

Key

Ricky Nolasco, the 2009 opening day starter
Mark Hendrickson, the 2008 Opening Day starter
Dontrelle Willis, the 2006 and 2007 Opening Day starter
Season Each year is linked to an article about that particular Marlins season.
W Win
L Loss
ND (W) No decision by starting pitcher; Marlins won game
ND (L) No decision by starting pitcher; Marlins lost game
Pitcher (#) Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the Marlins
* World Series Champions

Pitchers

Season Pitcher Decision Opponent Location Ref(s)
1993 Hough, CharlieCharlie Hough W Los Angeles Dodgers Joe Robbie Stadium [3]
1994 Hough, CharlieCharlie Hough (2) L Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium [3]
1995 Burkett, JohnJohn Burkett L Los Angeles Dodgers Joe Robbie Stadium [3]
1996 Brown, KevinKevin Brown L Pittsburgh Pirates Joe Robbie Stadium [3]
1997* Brown, KevinKevin Brown (2) W Chicago Cubs Pro Player Stadium [3]
1998 Hernández, LivánLiván Hernández W Chicago Cubs Pro Player Stadium [3]
1999 Fernandez, AlexAlex Fernandez W New York Mets Pro Player Stadium [3]
2000 Fernandez, AlexAlex Fernandez (2) W San Francisco Giants Pro Player Stadium [3]
2001 Dempster, RyanRyan Dempster L Philadelphia Phillies Pro Player Stadium [3]
2002 Dempster, RyanRyan Dempster (2) L Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium [3][6]
2003* Beckett, JoshJosh Beckett L Philadelphia Phillies Pro Player Stadium [3][7]
2004 Beckett, JoshJosh Beckett (2) W Montreal Expos Pro Player Stadium [3][8]
2005 Beckett, JoshJosh Beckett (3) W Atlanta Braves Dolphins Stadium [3][9]
2006 Willis, DontrelleDontrelle Willis L Houston Astros Minute Maid Park [3][10]
2007 Willis, DontrelleDontrelle Willis (2) W Washington Nationals Robert F. Kennedy Stadium [3][11]
2008 Hendrickson, MarkMark Hendrickson L New York Mets Dolphin Stadium [12]
2009 Nolasco, RickyRicky Nolasco W Washington Nationals Dolphin Stadium [4]
2010 Josh Johnson L New York Mets Citi Field [5]
2011 Josh Johnson (2) W New York Mets Sun Life Stadium [5]
2012 Josh Johnson (3) L St. Louis Cardinals Marlins Park [5]
2013 Ricky Nolasco (2) L Washington Nationals Nationals Park [3]
2014 José Fernández W Colorado Rockies Marlins Park [3]
2015 Henderson Álvarez L Atlanta Braves Marlins Park [3]
2016 Wei-Yin Chen ND (L) Detroit Tigers Marlins Park [3]

References

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