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Left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa will start for the Rockies on Opening Day, the team officially announced on Wednesday.
De La Rosa is the fairly obvious choice after news broke that staff ace and 2013 Opening Day starter Jhoulys Chacin will begin the season on the disabled list. Rockies owner Dick Monfort prior to spring training suggested newly acquired Brett Anderson might fill that spot, but the club instead has rightfully gone in the direction of a guy who has earned the opportunity to lead his team in the first game of 2014.
This will mark the first Opening Day start for De La Rosa, who had a terrific bounce-back year in 2013. He went 16-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 starts, just three fewer than he made in the previous three seasons combined.
De La Rosa is ranks No. 1 in Rockies franchise history with a .618 winning percentage in 118 starts. His 55 wins while in a Rockies uniform are fifth-most in club history. He becomes the fourth different pitcher to start on Opening Day since 2011, joining Chacin, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jeremy Guthrie.