Bello is named Red Sox Opening Day starter
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Brayan Bello, who earlier this month was signed to a six-year, $55 million contract extension, was named Opening Day starter by the Red Sox Tuesday.
Bello is scheduled to face the Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle March 28. Nick Pivetta will start Game 2, with Kutter Crawford likely for Game 3, according to manager Alex Cora.
Cooper Criswell, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock are competing for the other two spots in the rotation.
The decision was expected. Once Bello was deemed worthy of the lucrative extension, it was only natural that he would slide into the top spot of the rotation.
In what has been a rarity the last few years, Tuesday was a day with a positive message for the beleaguered Red Sox.
At 24 years, 11 months, and 12 days, Bello will be the youngest Opening Day starter for the Sox since Aaron Sele (24 years, 11 months, 2 days) in 1995.
Bello is also the first homegrown Opening Day starter since Clay Buchholz in 2015.
“I feel super happy to be told I was going to be the Opening Day starter,” Bello said via an interpreter. “I just want to work hard to be the best starter I can be to help my team win.”
Bello was 12-11 with a 4.24 earned run average last year. He is 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two career starts against the Mariners.
“Why not?” said Cora. “I do believe he’s in a stage in his career and in the organization that he’s the right one for that game.
“We made a big commitment with him a few weeks ago and he made a big commitment with us. It goes hand in hand. Last year he proved that he belongs here. He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do in the offseason and spring training.”
Bello was surprised that the more experienced Pivetta wasn’t the choice. But the symbolism clearly mattered to the team.
“This isn’t a knock on Nick,” Cora said. “Nick has done everything great for us. His stuff is really good.
But I think where we are as an organization and the commitment we made, let’s give it to the kid and see where it takes us.”
Cora let first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow give Bello the news Tuesday.
Breslow reminded Bello of a conversation they had earlier in camp when the pitcher was told he would not appear in the twogame Dominican Republic Series against Tampa Bay.
Bello was disappointed that he wouldn’t pitch in his native country, but the Sox wanted to keep him on schedule to pitch either the first or second game of the season.
“He told me now I earned it,” Bello said. “It’s mixed feelings because I wanted to pitch in the Dominican Republic but I also wanted to be the Opening Day starter.”
Seattle will start righthander Luis Castillo for the fourth Opening Day start of his career. Castillo was 14-9 with a 3.34 ERA last season.
He is 1-1, 4.09, in two career starts against the Sox.
Bello has a new contract and was selected as the Opening Day starter. What comes next?
“This year for me, the next goal is to win 17-20 games and help my team win,” he said. “I always think big, I always set my goals really high. I don’t know if it’s going to be this year but that’s something I really want to do.”