The Red Sox have their Opening Day starter.
Alex Cora confirmed last week that it wouldn’t be Chris Sale on the mound when Boston opens its season against the Baltimore Orioles on March 30. The manager hinted it would be Corey Kluber, and Wednesday he confirmed as much.
According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Cora told reporters he “informed Kluber of that decision” to be the Opening Day starter in January.
Kluber signed with the Red Sox in the offseason and has five games as the Opening Day starter.
Cora revealed he didn’t want to put any added pressure on Sale, who’s dealt with injuries since 2020, and wanted him to enjoy Opening Day as a baseball player and not the starter.
Kluber will be on the mound for the Red Sox on Wednesday when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park in spring training action. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET on NESN.
