List of Cleveland Guardians Opening Day starting pitchers

A man waving a cap in a car
Bob Feller made seven Opening Day starts for the Cleveland Indians.

The Cleveland Guardians are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio; until 2021, they were known as the Cleveland Indians. They play in the American League Central division. The first game of the new baseball season is played on Opening Day, and being named the starter that day is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. Since joining the league in 1901, the Indians have used 58 different Opening Day starting pitchers which includes the Opening Day starting pitchers from the Bluebirds and the Naps. They have a record of 58 wins and 54 losses in their Opening Day games.

The Indians have played in three different home ball parks, League Park from 1901 through 1946, Cleveland Stadium from 1932 to 1993, and Progressive Field since 1994. From 1934 through 1946 some games were played at League Park and some at Cleveland Stadium. They had a record of 11 wins and 4 losses in Opening Day games at League Park, 9 wins and 13 losses at Cleveland Stadium and 2 wins and 4 losses at Progressive Field, for a total home record in Opening Day games of 22 wins and 21 losses. Their record in Opening Day away games is 35 wins and 35 losses.

Bob Feller has the most Opening Day starts for the Indians, with seven. Stan Coveleski had six Opening Day starts for the Indians, Bob Lemon, CC Sabathia and Corey Kluber each had five Opening Day starts, and Addie Joss, Willie Mitchell, Gaylord Perry and Charles Nagy each had four. Several Baseball Hall of Famers have made Opening Day starts for the Indians, including Feller, Coveleski, Lemon, Joss, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersley and Early Wynn. Brothers Jim Perry and Gaylord Perry each made Opening Day starts for the Indians. Jim Perry started on Opening Day in 1961 and Gaylord Perry made Opening Day starts in 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.

The Indians have played in the World Series six times. They won in 1920 and 1948, and lost in 1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016. Coveleski was the Opening Day starting pitcher in 1920, Feller in 1948, Wynn in 1954, Dennis Martínez in 1995, Nagy in 1997, and Corey Kluber in 2016. The Indians are five and one in Opening Day games in those seasons, with the only loss coming in 2016. The Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays currently hold the record for the longest Opening Day game in Major League history. They set that record on Opening Day 2012, when the game lasted 16 innings. This broke the previous record of 15 innings between the Indians and the Detroit Tigers in 1960.

Key

A baseball scoreboard with a skyline in the background
Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians since 1994
W Win
L Loss
T Tie game
ND (W) No decision by starting pitcher; Indians won game
ND (L) No decision by starting pitcher; Indians lost game
(W) Indians won game; no information on starting pitcher's decision
(L) Indians lost game; no information on starting pitcher's decision
Final score Game score with Indians runs listed first
Location Stadium in italics with ‡ for home game
(No.) Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the Indians
* Advanced to the post-season
** American League champions
World Series champions

Pitchers

A man on a pitcher's mound
Addie Joss made four Opening Day starts for the Indians.
A picture of a man
Willie Mitchell made four Opening Day starts for the Indians.
A man on a pitcher's mound
Stan Coveleski made six Opening Day starts for the Indians.
A man in a pitching motion
CC Sabathia made five Opening Day starts for the Indians.
A man in a pitching motion
Cliff Lee was the Indians' Opening Day starter in 2009.
Justin Masterson medium shot
Justin Masterson was the Indians' Opening Day starting pitcher in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Season Pitcher Decision Final
score
Opponent Location Ref(s)
1901 Bill Hoffer (L) 2–8 Chicago White Sox South Side Park
1902 Earl Moore (L) 2–5 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1903 Addie Joss (L) 2–4 Detroit Tigers Bennett Park
1904 Bill Bernhard (W) 6–1 Chicago White Sox South Side Park
1905 Earl Moore (2) (W) 6–2 Detroit Tigers League Park
1906 Otto Hess (W) 3–1 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1907 Glenn Liebhardt (L) 0–2 Detroit Tigers Bennett Park
1908 Addie Joss (2) (L) 1–2 St. Louis Browns League Park
1909 Addie Joss (3) (W) 4–2 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1910 Addie Joss (4) (W) 9–7 Detroit Tigers Bennett Park
1911 Fred Blanding (L) 3–12 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1912 Willie Mitchell (W) 3–2 Detroit Tigers League Park
1913 Vean Gregg (W) 3–1 Chicago White Sox League Park
1914 Willie Mitchell (2) (L) 2–5 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1915 Willie Mitchell (3) (W) 5–1 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1916 Willie Mitchell (4) (L) 1–6 St. Louis Browns League Park
1917 Stan Coveleski (W) 6–4 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1918 Stan Coveleski (2) (W) 6–2 Detroit Tigers League Park
1919 Stan Coveleski (3) (L) 2–4 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1920 Stan Coveleski (4) W 5–0 St. Louis Browns League Park
1921 Stan Coveleski (5) L 2–4 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1922 Guy Morton W 7–4 Detroit Tigers League Park
1923 Stan Coveleski (6) ND (W) 6–5 Chicago White Sox League Park
1924 Joe Shaute L 3–4 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1925 Sherry Smith ND (W) 21–14 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1926 George Uhle W 2–1 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1927 George Uhle (2) W 3–2 Chicago White Sox League Park
1928 George Uhle (3) W 8–2 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1929 Joe Shaute ND (W) 5–4 Detroit Tigers League Park
1930 Willis Hudlin (L) 7–8 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1931 Wes Ferrell W 5–4 Chicago White Sox League Park
1932 Wes Ferrell (2) W 6–5 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1933 Clint Brown W 4–1 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1934 Oral Hildebrand W 5–2 St. Louis Browns League Park
1935 Mel Harder W 2–1 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1936 Mel Harder (2) (L) 0–3 Detroit Tigers League Park
1937 Mel Harder (3) (L) 3–4 Detroit Tigers Navin Field
1938 Johnny Allen (L) 2–6 St. Louis Browns League Park
1939 Bob Feller W 5–1 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1940 Bob Feller (2) W 1–0 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1941 Bob Feller (3) (L) 3–4 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Stadium
1942 Jim Bagby W 5–2 Detroit Tigers Tiger Stadium
1943 Jim Bagby (2) W 1–0 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1944 Al Smith (L) 1–3 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1945 Allie Reynolds (L) 2–5 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Stadium
1946 Bob Feller (4) W 1–0 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1947 Bob Feller (5) (L) 0–2 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1948 Bob Feller (6) W 4–0 St. Louis Browns Cleveland Stadium
1949 Bob Feller (7) (L) 1–5 St. Louis Browns Sportsman's Park
1950 Bob Lemon (L) 6–7 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1951 Bob Lemon (2) W 2–1 Detroit Tigers Briggs Stadium
1952 Early Wynn W 3–2 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1953 Bob Lemon (3) W 6–0 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Stadium
1954** Early Wynn (2) W 8–2 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1955 Bob Lemon (4) W 5–1 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Stadium
1956 Bob Lemon (5) L 1–2 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1957 Herb Score L 2–3 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Stadium
1958 Herb Score (2) L 0–5 Kansas City Athletics Cleveland Stadium
1959 Gary Bell W 6–4 Kansas City Athletics Municipal Stadium
1960 Gary Bell (2) ND (L) 2–4 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1961 Jim Perry W 9–5 Detroit Tigers Tiger Stadium
1962 Dick Donovan W 4–0 Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
1963 Mudcat Grant W 5–4 Minnesota Twins Metropolitan Stadium
1964 Mudcat Grant (2) ND (L) 6–7 Minnesota Twins Cleveland Stadium
1965 Ralph Terry W 7–1 California Angels Dodger Stadium
1966 Sam McDowell W 5–2 Washington Senators Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
1967 Sam McDowell (2) ND (L) 3–4 Kansas City Athletics Municipal Stadium
1968 Sonny Siebert W 9–0 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
1969 Luis Tiant L 2–6 Detroit Tigers Tiger Stadium
1970 Sam McDowell (3) L 2–8 Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Stadium
1971 Steve Hargan L 2–8 Detroit Tigers Tiger Stadium
1972 Gaylord Perry L 1–5 Milwaukee Brewers Cleveland Stadium
1973 Gaylord Perry (2) W 2–1 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1974 Gaylord Perry (3) L 1–6 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium
1975 Gaylord Perry (4) W 5–3 New York Yankees Cleveland Stadium
1976 Dennis Eckersley L 1–3 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Stadium
1977 Dennis Eckersley (2) ND (W) 5–4 Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
1978 Wayne Garland W 8–5 Kansas City Royals Cleveland Stadium
1979 Rick Wise L 1–7 Boston Red Sox Fenway Park
1980 Dan Spillner L 2–10 California Angels Anaheim Stadium
1981 Bert Blyleven L 3–5 Milwaukee Brewers Cleveland Stadium
1982 Rick Waits L 3–8 Texas Rangers Cleveland Stadium
1983 Rick Sutcliffe W 8–5 Oakland Athletics Oakland Coliseum
1984 Rick Sutcliffe (2) W 9–1 Texas Rangers Arlington Stadium
1985 Bert Blyleven (2) ND (L) 4–5 Detroit Tigers Tiger Stadium
1986 Ken Schrom W 6–4 Baltimore Orioles Memorial Stadium
1987 Tom Candiotti L 3–4 Toronto Blue Jays Exhibition Stadium
1988 Tom Candiotti (2) ND (L) 3–4 Texas Rangers Arlington Stadium
1989 Greg Swindell W 2–1 Milwaukee Brewers Cleveland Stadium
1990 Bud Black ND (L) 4–6 New York Yankees Yankee Stadium
1991 Greg Swindell (2) L 2–4 Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium
1992 Charles Nagy L 0–2 Baltimore Orioles Camden Yards
1993 Charles Nagy (2) L 1–9 New York Yankees Cleveland Stadium
1994 Dennis Martínez ND (W) 4–3 Seattle Mariners Jacobs Field
1995** Dennis Martínez (2) W 11–6 Texas Rangers Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
1996* Dennis Martínez (3) L 1–7 New York Yankees Jacobs Field
1997** Charles Nagy (3) ND (W) 9–7 Oakland Athletics Oakland Coliseum
1998* Charles Nagy (4) ND (W) 10–9 Seattle Mariners Kingdome
1999* Jaret Wright ND (L) 5–6 Anaheim Angels Angel Stadium of Anaheim
2000 Bartolo Colón W 4–1 Baltimore Orioles Camden Yards
2001* Bartolo Colón (2) L 4–7 Chicago White Sox Jacobs Field
2002 Bartolo Colón (3) W 6–0 Anaheim Angels Angel Stadium of Anaheim
2003 CC Sabathia ND (L) 5–6 Baltimore Orioles Camden Yards
2004 CC Sabathia (2) ND (L) 4–7 Minnesota Twins Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
2005 Jake Westbrook L 0–1 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
2006 CC Sabathia (3) ND (L) 4–10 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
2007* CC Sabathia (4) W 12–5 Chicago White Sox Comiskey Park
2008 CC Sabathia (5) ND (W) 10–8 Chicago White Sox Progressive Field
2009 Cliff Lee L 1–9 Texas Rangers Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
2010 Jake Westbrook (2) L 0–6 Chicago White Sox U.S. Cellular Field
2011 Fausto Carmona L 10–15 Chicago White Sox Progressive Field
2012 Justin Masterson ND (L) 4–7 Toronto Blue Jays Progressive Field
2013* Justin Masterson (2) W 4–1 Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre
2014 Justin Masterson (3) ND (W) 2–0 Oakland Athletics O.co Coliseum
2015 Corey Kluber L 0–2 Houston Astros Minute Maid Park
2016** Corey Kluber (2) L 2–6 Boston Red Sox Progressive Field
2017* Corey Kluber (3) ND (W) 9–5 Texas Rangers Globe Life Park in Arlington
2018* Corey Kluber (4) L 1–2 Seattle Mariners Safeco Field
2019 Corey Kluber (5) L 0–2 Minnesota Twins Target Field
2020* Shane Bieber W 2–0 Kansas City Royals Progressive Field
2021 Shane Bieber (2) L 2–3 Detroit Tigers Comerica Park
2022* Shane Bieber (3) ND (L) 1–3 Kansas City Royals Kauffman Stadium
2023 Shane Bieber (4) ND (L) 0–3 Seattle Mariners T-Mobile Park

This page was last updated at 2023-10-07 10:42 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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