Diamondbacks announce Zac Gallen as Opening Day starter with 2-word hype

The Arizona Diamondbacks have finally announced that Zac Gallen will be their starting pitcher on the mound for Opening Day when they host the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field on March 27. The Diamondbacks manager, Torey Lovullo, announced the decision made by the team during a media session on Thursday afternoon.

It was a tough choice for Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks as they have added 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes on a six-year, $210 million deal during the offseason. However, the D-Backs eventually preferred Zac Gallen, who had signed a one-year, $13.5 million pre-arbitration contract with the team for his final season before reaching free agency.

The Arizona Diamondbacks shared the news on Instagram with a two-word note to hype their choice.

"GALLEN TIME," they wrote in the comments section of the post.

Torey Lovullo shared his perspective on picking Zac Gallen over Corbin Burnes as the Opening Day starter in the press conference on Thursday.

"It was agonizing; I’m not going to lie. I was having a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure this out. I probably let it go a little bit longer than possible, than I should have," Lovullo said. "They deserved a very long look and a lot of consideration."

"At the end of the day, Zac has been here for a long time," Lovullo said. "I have a very strong bond with Zac. He’s seen some darkness here. He’s come out the other end. I’ve just known him for a long time and relied on him in a different way than I eventually know I will rely on Corbin. I just haven’t gotten there yet."

Gallen, who was acquired on a trade deal from the Miami Marlins in 2019, has since made three top-10 finishes for the Cy Young Award with the team.

"Definitely an honor": Zac Gallen on being the Diamondbacks Opening Day starter

Zac Gallen finished third for the NL Cy Young Award in 2023 (Image Source: IMAGN)

Zac Gallen spoke to the media after he was named the starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks for Opening Day. This will be the third consecutive year that he has been tasked with a job.

"Definitely an honor,” Gallen said. "But my sentiment is still the same: After Game 1, the guy that pitches the next day is the (No.) 1 (starter) on the scorecard. It’s definitely an honor and not something I take lightly."

Callen made 28 starts for the D-Backs last year and finished with a 14-6 record, contributing 2.6 bWAR for the team. He posted 148.0 innings with a 3.56 ERA, 1.264 WHIP, and 156 strikeouts.