A's manager Bob Melvin informed Frankie Montas he would be the Opening Day starter, and the 27-year old right-hander immediately called his wife. Then he brought the good news to his mom and dad.
Say what you will about a shortened 60-game baseball season with odd rules and asterisks next to most every stat. Pitching on Opening Day still means something.
It was a big moment for Montas, even though he knew deep down the prestigious assignment was coming. Melvin tipped his hand by lining up his camp pitching schedule a certain way, but that didn’t take away from the big reveal.
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“I’m so happy to get the opportunity to pitch that first day,” Montas said in a Saturday evening video conference. “Every pitcher wants that. That’s huge for me. I’m really happy about it.”
Make no mistake. This honor wasn’t given. It was earned.
Montas reported to A’s training camp in great shape thanks to an arduous weightlifting and throwing regimen he kept up throughout baseball’s shutdown. He showed up two weeks ago capable of throwing four, maybe five innings.
He’ll start one more simulated game Sunday before facing the L.A. Angels on July 24 in Oakland. Montas believes he’ll be ready to throw up to 90 pitches that first time out. It’s not just the pitch volume that prompted the A’s to start him first. It’s the quality as well.
Oakland Athletics
“He was very prepared, but there’s a lot to like about him,” Melvin said. “He throws close to 100 mph. He has two really good breaking pitches. He really came into his own last year. … We saw early in this camp that he was conditioned for it and he’s a good guy to lead off with.”
Being named the A’s Opening Day starter was a big moment in its own right. It expands when put in proper context. This is a player who was virtually unhittable early last season, before he got suspended 80 games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Montas worked hard during that downtime for the chance at one more start in 2019 and threw great.
He took a similar attitude to baseball’s shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic and showed up ready to prove himself against. Being named Opening Day starter is a small step in that direction.
“This is huge after what happened last year,” Montas said. “I’m just happy to be able to contribute and help the team for a full season.”
[RELATED: Montas went from "dark place" to Opening Day starter]
Montas didn’t want to call it a redemption tour, and he doesn’t want to focus much on what happened in 2019. He doesn’t just want to match what he did early in the 2019 season. He wants to exceed it and believes he’s in a better place to do exactly that.
“I’m the same guy, but just a little better,” Montas said. “I learned a lot about the game last year, about how to pitch and face good hitters. I feel like I’m a little more mature. I understand the game and I’m able to just go out and not panic. I can just go out there and have fun.”