The Miami Marlins have named their Opening Day starter against the Colorado Rockies
Jose Urena’s first crack as the Miami Marlins’ Opening Day starter last year did not go how he hoped.
He will have a chance for redemption this year.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly on Thursday announced that Urena will be the team’s Opening Day starter against the Colorado Rockies when the season begins at Marlins Park on March 28.
“I know we put this off every year because we didn’t really know, but this year, right now, the plan, if everything will go according to that will be Jose Urena,” Mattingly said, “which I don’t think is a big surprise for anyone.”
Urena was the Marlins’ starter to begin the 2018 season, and it started as bad as he could have imagined. He gave up a home run to the Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ on the first pitch of the game and gave up three runs total in the first inning in an eventual 8-4 loss.
But Urena rebounded and showed off his poise and command late in the season — most noticeably after a suspension for plunking the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna on Aug. 15. Urena won six of his final seven starts and posted a 1.80 ERA over 45 innings. He gave up no more than one run in each of those six wins. Urena finished the year 9-12 with a 3.98 ERA in 31 starts.
“I think he’s the leader of our staff, quite honestly,” Mattingly said. “A guy that if we have a guy that we want to basically bring along and [show him] this is how you do your business, it’s Jose. His work ethic, his continuing to work and get better all the time, the toughness that he approaches each outing with, he’s our guy.”
Urena said he looks to build on his performance from last year as he prepares for his fourth season with the Marlins.
“Whenever you have a chance or you have an opportunity, you have to take it,” Urena said. “...You’re the guy, so you have to put a good number in there if people trust your stuff.”
While Urena’s spot is secure, the rest of the starting rotation is still in flux as spring training gets underway. At least six other pitchers — Dan Straily, Wei-Yin Chen, Caleb Smith, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Trevor Richards — are competing for four spots.
This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 10:44 AM.
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