Volquez gets opening start
Right-hander leads new Miami rotation
JUPITER — Edinson Volquez will start on Opening Day for the Miami Marlins, manager Don Mattingly announced Friday. The right-handed Volquez, the club’s signature offseason addition, will take the ball April 3 against the Nationals in Washington, D.C., pitching in his team’s first game of the season for the fifth time in his career.
After a poor 2016 season, Volquez becomes the unofficial leader of a Miami rotation that lacks a true ace in the absence of Jose Fernandez, who likely would have drawn this assignment had he been alive.
“It really could’ve been a number of guys,” Mattingly said. “We feel like [Volquez is] the right guy. He pitches with big intensity. An Opening Day crowd I feel like will be good for him.
“At first we were talking about pushing Volky back depending on how long the WBC went. … When he got back, we knew we could get it lined up and get him his work and get him feeling comfortable.”
Volquez said he was surprised to get picked.
“I had no idea,” Volquez said. “New guy on a new team. It’s a great opportunity for me to pitch the first game for the Marlins. I’ve been here before. It’s nothing new for me. I will do my best to win the first game.”
Following Volquez in the Marlins’ rotation will be righties Dan Straily and Tom Koehler against the Nats, then lefty-Wei-Yin Chen against the Mets in New York. The Marlins have not decided on their fifth starter.
Left-hander Adam Conley and right-hander Jose Urena are two candidates. “We have to figure out who we think the best guy is for that,” Mattingly said.
Volquez starting the opener also puts him on track to start the sixth game of the season, Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN against the Mets on April 9.
“Edinson, if anything, is probably the guy with the most experience, been through the most, won a World Series, he’s pitched high-impact games,” Mattingly said. “So he would be the one guy I think would be our guy as far as handling all different situations.”
Volquez, 33 years old and a veteran of 12 major league seasons, signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Marlins in December after one of the worst seasons of his career. Pitching for the Royals, Volquez had a 5.37 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
Volquez also started on Opening Day for the 2011 Cincinnati Reds, the 2012 and 2013 San Diego Padres and the 2016 Kansas City Royals. The first day of the season, Volquez said, is no different than the others despite the hoopla.
“A big game for me is another game,” Volquez said. “I don’t put a lot of pressure on me to pitch the first game or Game 7 of the World Series. I keep calm and keep quiet and do my best. I do what I know how to do.”
stood in front of his locker Friday afternoon, an equipment bag full of red, white and blue souvenirs at his feet, still coming down from the high of winning the World Baseball Classic with Team USA this week.
The clothes, Yelich said, still reeked — in the best way — of alcohol. And so did the goggles he handed teammate and locker neighbor
“Oh man, these smell like champagne,” Rojas said. “Save these for September.” Yelich and
are back with the Miami Marlins after winning gold, and they couldn’t say enough good things about their WBC experience. It was the most fun he has had playing baseball, Yelich said. Stanton mostly agreed, but noted the exception of youth-baseball doubleheaders when he got to wear his uniform all day.
“Guys were saying it was a playoff atmosphere,” Yelich said. “In some cases, they said that night at Marlins Park was the loudest stadium they’ve ever played in. That was something special. It was deafening in there.”