For Pirates, right-hander Joe Musgrove the natural choice to earn Opening Day start

Upon being named Opening Day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Joe Musgrove’s mind couldn’t help but drift to the man who shared his love of baseball and pushed him to chase his dream of playing in the majors.

“I just think about how proud my dad probably is right now,” Musgrove said of Mark Musgrove, a former San Diego police officer who was paralyzed for two years by the autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, before recovering. “It was like a holiday for us every year. Sit down, watching Opening Day together. My dad just had undying belief in me and my ability to make it to this level.”

Proud Dad moment. pic.twitter.com/DkKJfez4S8

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 17, 2020

Musgrove will be on the mound when the Pirates open the season July 24 at the St. Louis Cardinals, who have named right-hander Jack Flaherty their starter. It also will mark Derek Shelton’s debut as Pirates manager, and this is his first announcement on the starting lineup.

Musgrove’s ascension to the top of the rotation came after the Pirates lost starters Jameson Taillon (Tommy John) and Chris Archer (neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome) to season-ending surgeries. Taillon was the Opening Day starter and Archer the starter for the home opener last season, but neither will pitch this summer.

That made Musgrove the natural choice – perhaps the only choice – for the Pirates, and he made it clear that being the Opening Day starter was atop his goals. Musgrove went 11-12 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.23 WHIP last season, leading the team in wins, games started (31), innings pitched (170⅓) and strikeouts (157). He also will start their exhibition opener against Cleveland at 7 p.m. Saturday at PNC Park.

Manager Derek Shelton announced Joe Musgrove is the guy for Opening Day. #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/tjha8ybBjM

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 17, 2020

The centerpiece of the return package from the Houston Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, along with third baseman Colin Moran, relief pitcher Michael Feliz and outfielder Jason Martin, Musgrove arrived with a World Series ring after getting the victory in relief in Game 5.

Musgrove has a 28-33 career record with a 4.37 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in three-plus seasons in the majors. If there’s a drawback to Musgrove’s moment, it’s that Opening Day at Busch Stadium will come without fans — and his family members — in attendance.

“You always hope that you’re going to be one of those 30 guys on Opening Day,” Musgrove said. “It’s really exciting for me to get it. It’s gonna suck that it’s going to be a pretty dull, boring Opening Day, but it is Opening Day, nonetheless. I’m really honored to get it, and I’m proud of myself. I’ve put in a lot of work to get to this point. Find me on other teams, I might not be the Opening Day guy, but I’m here right now. That’s the reality of it, and I’m ready to take the role.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Musgrove earned the starting nod through his clubhouse leadership and performance in training camp, where his six-pitch repertoire has looked sharp.

Shelton has yet to manage his first major-league game, so he wasn’t quite sure how to handle naming his Opening Day starter. When Musgrove was called into a meeting with Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin, it became what Shelton called “fairly emotional.”

“I’d never done it before,” Shelton said. “I told him, ‘I don’t know how this goes. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, other than I’m really excited for you and really happy for you.’ He deserved it. It was a cool moment for all of us. It was a very relaxed moment. It was definitely a fairly emotional moment for Joe, being named the Opening Day starter.”