Pittsburgh Pirates: Four Forgotten Opening Day Starters

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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Apr 1, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (39) delivers against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (39) delivers against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

With the start of the 2021 season, let’s take a look at some of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ more forgotten Opening Day starting pitchers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their 2021 season with a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chad Kuhl took the mound as the team’s starting pitcher on Friday.

While Kuhl could be a decent pitcher for the Bucs he is not necessarily the most memorable name in Pirate history. The team has had plenty of memorable starters take the mound on Opening Day including Doug Drabek and Francisco Liriano, each of whom started three straight Opening Days for the Bucs, Bert Blyleven, and A.J. Burnett.

However, there are plenty of pitchers who got the nod on opening day for the Pittsburgh Pirates and have become somewhat forgotten, not only in their history, but the fact they opened the season as the Pirates’ Opening Day starter. Today, since it’s still Opening Week for the 2021 season, I think it would be interesting to take a look at four forgotten Opening Day starters throughout the team’s history.

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