Marcus Stroman Declines Starting On Opening Day, Which Isn't As Ridiculous As You Might Think

Marcus Stroman really doesn’t want to pitch for the New York Yankees on Opening Day.

The pinstripes have some scheduling problems with their starting pitching. Gerrit Cole, the team’s presumptive starter for game one of the season-opening series against the Houston Astros, suffered a significant elbow injury that will force him to miss 1-2 months. 

As such, New York needs a guy to take the mound when their season begins at Minute Maid Park on March 28. General Manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone approached Stroman about getting the ball for Opening Day.

Stroman has been working himself in to getting ready for the long season and doesn't want to mess his routine up. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Stroman flatly refused.

"I think they thought that I was going to be like, ‘Hey, let me get it,’" Stroman said. "That’s not my nature, man. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m confident in whoever goes out there from this squad to get the job done. At the end of the day, it’s just another game. I’m not someone who is going to be upset if I don’t get the Opening Day nod."

The right-hander said that he prioritizes staying on track with his schedule of rest and work, and doesn’t want to mess with that. Stroman is projected to face Houston on March 30, game three of the series.

"I’m trying to go out there for 30-plus starts. That’s the goal for me. I have confidence in anybody we throw out there for Opening Day," Stroman said. "At this point, it’s too hard to get on schedule and on track. They came to me, but like I said, they agreed and I agreed also that it was probably best to stay on the schedule we came up with."

Marcus Stroman Made The Right Call For The Long-Term

To be fair to Stroman, this doesn’t sound like a guy who’s being overly selfish. Pitchers need to strike a delicate balance between rest and performance, without getting overworked. He’s simply making a choice off that.

Frankly, for his sake and the Yankees sake, it does make more sense in the long run to stick to the plan both sides agreed to in Spring Training. Why speed a guy’s routine up just for the first game of the year? There are six long months of more important baseball ahead of you, and you don’t win anything worth remembering by leaving Opening Day with a W.

Manager Aaron Boone already has a plan in place for who will start on Opening Day. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Post reported that the Yankees might choose to go one of two ways to fill this need: go with one of the several players competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, or do a bullpen game. Fans would hate the latter option (according to the Post), but quite honestly, who cares? Yankees fans find a way to complain about everything.

Additionally, Boone said he already has a plan in place for who will take the mound on the 28th.

"I’ve decided who’s starting," Boone said. "I just want to let a few more days go off the clock. A lot can happen."

Given the circumstances, Stroman made the right call. New York can find a way to survive without him for one day.