The Chicago Cubs are ready to embark on another season that the franchise hopes will end with a World Series and to get things started, the team is travelling to PNC Park For Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday afternoon.
The Cubs are giving Jeff Samardzija the first start of the season, while the Pirates will put up A.J. Burnett in a battle of two teams looking to erase some awful recent legacies. The Cubs are looking for their first World Series title since 1098, while the Pirates are simply trying to finish over .500 for the first time in 20 years.
The Cubs are undergoing a huge change under new executive Theo Epstein and after losing over 100 games last year, the team is trying to get to at least .500 before thinking about more. Samardzija is a key for the team as they move forward, as he is one of their best young pitchers and went 9-13 with a 3.81 ERA in 28 games last year after moving into a starting role.
Samardzija knows what it's like to deal with pressure after playing at Notre Dame as a wide receiver and he will be making his first opening day start of his career. Samardzija has played in Pittsburgh before, including in 2005 when he made three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers in a 42-21 win.
"That was a big moment for me, scoring my first college touchdown, but football seems so long ago now," Samardzija said. "I'm a baseball player."
Samardzija was in the bullpen first, going 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 75 relief appearances in 2011 before making the move to the starting rotation, where he proved himself to be the best pitcher for the Cubs. Burnett is a solid option for the Pirates, as he anchored the rotation last season while going 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA in 31 starts and will now be making his first opening day start.
The Pirates were in playoff contention for most of the season, but fell off as the second half went on. Burnett has been one of the top players for the Pirates, but has said that he may retire after his $82.5 million, five-year contract ends, although he has expressed that he enjoys the town and could play in 2014.
The Pirates will be relying on MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen, Clint Barmes, Russell Martin and Neil Walker to get the team over .500, while the Cubs are already hurting with Darwin Barney on the designated list to start the season. The Cubs will have Alfonso Soriano at fourth in the lineup while young star Anthony Rizzo is third at first base.
