Over a month earlier than the primary pitch of the 2026 MLB season, the Houston Astros have introduced a serious choice.
The Astros have awarded their high pitcher from 2025 with the reward of taking the mound on Opening Day.
Hunter Brown would be the Astros Opening Day starter when Houston welcomes the Los Angeles Angels to Daikin Park.
Brown will open up the 2026 season by beginning sport No. 1 of their three-game set with Los Angeles that begins on March 26 at 4:10 pm ET.
Brown took his sport to a different stage in 2025
Brown emerged as probably the greatest pitchers within the American League final season, ending third within the AL’s Cy Younger race. He additionally made the All-Star staff for the primary time in his profession.
Posting a 6.1 bWAR, Brown recorded a 12-9 file with 206 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA in 185.1 innings pitched. He allowed solely 50 runs in opposition to him all season and registered a 1.025 WHIP.
Previous to his stellar 2025 marketing campaign, Brown was 11-9 in 2024 and 11-13 within the season earlier than. He improved his ERA from 5.09 in his first full season in 2023 after breaking into the Massive Leagues with a pair wins in 2022 to three.49 in 2024.
Brown already has tons of massive sport expertise beneath his belt
Total by 4 years, Brown has a cumulative ERA of three.49 and a 36-31 file in 100 appearances and 92 begins.
Brown has additionally proved to be a dependable huge sport pitcher, which seemingly additional led to being comfy with handing the ball to him to start out the brand new season. He was a part of the Astros’ World Sequence profitable group in 2022, pitching three scoreless innings all through that postseason. Brown put up ERAs of two.57 within the 2023 playoffs after which 1.59 in 2024.
However regardless of Brown’s brilliance, Houston did not return to the playoffs final yr – they went 87-75 and completed in three video games behind the American League West champion Seattle Mariners. The strain is now on Brown and firm to get again to October.
