In the pre-Sale era, Mark Buehrle started nine of 10 openers between 2002-11. Jack McDowell started four in a row in the early 1990s, knuckleballer Wilbur Wood started five in the 70s, and the Gary Peters, Tommy John, Joel Horlen triad shared seven from 1964-71. Billy Pierce started five openers during an under-the-radar Sox heyday in the 1950s.
When manager Pedro Grifol named Garrett Crochet to be the Opening Day starter in a choice that surprised just about everyone, he sent historians searching for the last time a pitcher who had never started a game would start an opener. Crochet will be the ninth pitcher in the last 100 years and the third since 1981 to do it.
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