James Shields named Padres' Opening Day Starter

There was little to no doubt who would toe the rubber in Los Angeles on Opening Day for the Padres, but yesterday morning it became official.  It's the Padres' most costly acquisition and best pitcher, James Shields.  If only it hadn't taken me a full 24 hours to realize it had happened.  I'm the worst blogger.

Shields' seventh Opening Day start promises to be special one | padres.com

"It doesn't matter how many times you pitch Opening Day, any time you get named Opening Day starter, it's definitely an honor," Shields said. "It's a great day in baseball."

Manager Bud Black feels that Shields earned it and is up for the challenge of beating Clayton Kershaw at his own game.  There was also talk of feathers and caps as is the custom.

"This is a feather in the cap for any pitcher who starts Opening Day," said manager Bud Black, who made the announcement at his morning media session. "This will be James' seventh, going back to Kansas City and Tampa, so he's been through this before. He knows how special this day is."

Let's look back at Shields' record as Opening Day starter, shall we?  This will tell us everything we need to know.

One win in six tries as Opening Day starter and a lot of indecision.  Forget what I said earlier, these results are meaningless.

As for the 5th starter, the real mystery may continue to be a mystery for a while longer says the UT's Dennis Lin.

Bud Black said it's possible the Padres could delay their fifth-starter decision (between Morrow and Despaigne) until after they leave Ariz.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) March 29, 2015