April 7 (UPI) — Tylor Megill earned the nod to start the New York Mets’ opening day game against the Washington Nationals due to injuries to fellow starting pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, Mets manager Buck Showalter announced.
Showalter told reporters Wednesday about his decision to start Megill. The Mets battle the Nationals at 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Nationals left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin is expected to face the right-handed Megill.
“I’m excited,” Megill told reporters Wednesday. “I’m ready to go. It’s just another game. … I just happened to fall in the right slot, where me throwing lines up for opening day.”
Megill went 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 18 starts last season. He joined the Mets organization as an eight-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He posted a 3.41 ERA and 9-10 record in 40 starts over his three-year Minor League Baseball tenure.
DeGrom is out due to a stress reaction in his right scapula. Scherzer is out due to right hamstring soreness. Scherzer is expected to start the Mets’ second game of the season Friday in Washington, D.C. DeGrom is expected to miss about two months of action as he recovers from his injury.
“It fit his workload,” Showalter said of the decision to start Megill. “The experience factor. The good thing is that we had some guys to pick him. We had four guys there we are comfortable with running out there.”
The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of the 2022 MLB season. First pitch for that National League Central division matchup is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CDT Thursday in Chicago.
