The Los Angeles Angels have announced that Patrick Sandoval is the Opening Day starter for the 2024 MLB season when the Halos take on the Baltimore Orioles on March 28. It is Sandoval’s first Opening Day start and it comes against one of the best pitchers in MLB in Corbin Burnes.
Sandoval is the natural choice as he is poised for a bounce-back season after establishing himself as a cornerstone of the franchise’s starting rotation from 2021 to 2023. While 2023 was certainly a down year, no one in the organization has lost any faith for what Sandoval can be. He is entering his age-27 season and already has multiple quality full campaigns under his belt.
Getting named the Opening Day starter is an honor that many pitchers dream of. But it’s especially impactful for Sandoval, who does it for the team he grew up rooting for from Mission Viejo. He spoke about what it means to do what he’s doing for the Angels, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“It’s a huge honor,” Sandoval said. “It’s something you dream of as a young kid to be an Opening Day starter. And I get to do it for my hometown team. It’s pretty cool.”
Angels manager Ron Washington detailed what went into the decision to start Sandoval over potential other candidates like Reid Detmers or Tyler Anderson. Washington referenced the way Sandoval has been a de-facto leader in the rotation for several years now.
“I think he’s been the guy that the rest of that staff has looked toward to lead them for a few years here and he came into camp wanting to be that guy,” Washington said. “His progression each time he took the ball proved that he wanted to be that guy. And he earned it. So we gave it to him.”
Sandoval knows that being the Opening Day starter comes with plenty of responsibility. But he is more than ready for the task as he looks to return to the form he had in 2022. That season, he posted a 2.91 ERA in 148.2 innings. Now, as the ace of the Angels staff, he has a chance to be the leader that everyone in the clubhouse believes he can be.
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