DUNEDIN, Fla. — J.A. Happ will be the Toronto Blue Jays’ opening day starter this season.
The veteran left-hander will pitch against the New York Yankees next Thursday at Rogers Centre. It will be the first time in his 10-year career that he will start opening day.
Right-hander Aaron Sanchez, whose 2017 season was hampered by a finger blister, will start the second game. Marco Estrada, Marcus Stroman and newcomer Jaime Garcia round out the rest of the rotation.
Happ, a 20-game winner in 2016, was 10-11 with a 3.53 earned-run average last season.
Happ pitched his last spring training game Sunday — a 5-2 Blue Jays win over the Pittsburgh Pirates — allowing four hits, one run and striking out five.
Stroman has been limited to just one start this season, two innings against Canada’s junior national team last week, because of right shoulder inflammation.