Reds ace Hunter Greene was the only Black pitcher to start on Opening Day this season. Although he cherished the honor, Green hopes that more Black aces will get the Opening Day nod going forward.
““To be able to represent the African American community within our sport, which obviously is the lowest percentage that we’ve had, it means a lot,” Greene told Andscape reporter Branson Wright. “For kids to be able to turn the game on and be able to see themselves in me, I don’t take that lightly, so it’s awesome.”
“I wish I wasn’t the only one out there going [on Opening Day],” said Greene said. “But that’ll take time. Hopefully, we’ll continue to grow the game and keep kids in the game, so it won’t just be myself moving forward.”
Greene will have to wait until next season to see if he’s joined by other Black Opening Day starters, but MLBbro pitchers have already begun making an impact this season.
Melanated Mound Marauders During Opening Week
During Opening Week, Taj Bradley, Jack Flaherty and Marcus Stroman all took the mound for their respective teams. While Stroman had a rocky 2025 debut, Flaherty and Bradley fared much better in their outings.
Tasked with the defending World Series champion Dodgers – his former team – Flaherty stood his ground in his return to Dodger Stadium. The 29-year-old hurler allowed two runs and struck out five batters through 5 ⅔ innings pitched. Plus, had it not been for the late-game heroics of Mookie Betts, Flaherty positioned the Tigers for an upset win over his former team.
Despite the loss, Flaherty still had something to smile about, as he was given his World Series championship ring.
“Jack, hometown guy, it was his dream to pitch for the Dodgers, and he delivered. So he’s going to be a friend of mine for life,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “And I couldn’t have been happier. He was the right person at the right time for our club. And I’m happy that he got family and friends that got to see him in a Dodger uniform.”
Following his impressive 2025 debut, Flaherty received a standing ovation from Dodgers and Tigers fans alike as he made his way back to the dugout.
“It was unexpected, very much unexpected,” Flaherty said, “especially with the game and the way it was going, tie game. … It means a lot, especially growing up here and spending a lot of time here. It’s special.”
Taj Bradley
Although his outing didn’t include any homecomings or ring ceremonies, Taj Bradley was effective in his 2025 debut. The hard-throwing righty earned the win Sunday versus the Rockies, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out seven.
In front of a a sold-out crowd of 10,046 at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Rays temporary home for this season, Bradley showcased why he was such a tantalizing prospect. His quality start was the third straight by a Rays pitcher, marking the first time since 2013 that the Rays rotation has opened a season with three straight six-inning starts.
“Quality starts [are] hopefully the name of the game for the rest of the season,” Bradley said. “If we keep it close, we’ve got a chance to win a lot.”
Marcus “Stro Show” Stroman
Marcus Storman got plenty of run support in a 12-3 NY Yankees win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, but his performance was subpar, giving up three runs over 4 ²/₃ innings to help the Yanks complete the weep in the BX.
“I thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Stroman said. “Made a few bad pitches, but overall, for the first one, thought it was OK. Definitely need to be better going forward, but to keep this offense in the game is definitely key. To limit the team to three runs or less over five, I feel like we’re going to be able to score and do what we need to do over the course of the game.”
