Max Scherzer tabbed to make Opening Day for the Nationals

Soon after Max Scherzer signed a $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals this winter, the debate began.

With a rotation of aces, who would start for the Nationals on Opening Day?

That question was finally answered Monday by manager Matt Williams, who announced that Scherzer, the 2013 American League Cy Young award winner, will start April 6 at Nationals Park against the New York Mets. It will be the first Opening Day start of his major league career.

Former No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg had started for Washington on Opening Day in each of the past three seasons, a task he always viewed as an honor. He was passed over for the start this year in favor of Scherzer, the team’s prized offseason acquisition who signed the most lucrative deal for a right-handed pitcher in the history of the sport.

Is is unclear how the Nationals will arrange the rest of their rotation, which is expected to include Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez.

Williams and general manager Mike Rizzo were evasive when asked this spring about who would start Opening Day. Williams had repeatedly cautioned that a decision could not be made until all of the candidates made it through spring training healthy.

Scherzer, like his teammates, had downplayed the importance of starting on Opening Day.

“I think everybody on this staff could make a case they could be an Opening Day starter,” he said on March 16. “That’s the beauty of playing here in Washington. It’s going to be fun, whoever gets it.”

Starting on Opening Day is more symbolic than tactical. It is viewed by most pitchers as a significant accomplishment, recognition of one’s status atop the rotation even though the order of that rotation will become muddled as the season goes on.

Scherzer is a two-time All-Star and Cy Young award winner, but starting on Opening Day will be a new experience for him. He broke into the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had Brandon Webb firmly entrenched as a No. 1 starter. Then, in Detroit, he was annually slotted behind Justin Verlander, even after winning the Cy Young award in 2013.

Scherzer will become the sixth pitcher to start Opening Day for the Nationals. Strasburg and Livan Hernandez have each gotten the nod three times, John Lannan has started twice and John Patterson and Odalis Perez each made one Opening Day start.

This complete list, and how each pitcher fared, is below.

2014: Stephen Strasburg (ND) — 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

2013: Stephen Strasburg (W) — 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

2012: Stephen Strasburg (ND) — 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

2011: Livan Hernandez (L) — 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

2010: John Lannan (L) — 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

2009: John Lannan (L) — 3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

2008: Odalis Perez (ND) — 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

2007: John Patterson (L) — 3 2/3, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

2006: Livan Hernandez (L) — 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

2005: Livan Hernandez (L) — 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K