PEORIA, Ariz. -- For the past nine years, choosing an Opening Day starter has generally been a foregone conclusion for the Mariners. Felix Hernandez has handled those duties every season since 2009, the longest active streak of any pitcher in the Major Leagues.
But Hernandez, who has started 10 of the past 11 openers, is coming off an injury-plagued 2017 season in which he went 6-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts, while James Paxton emerged as one of the top left-handed starters in the game, going 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA in 24 outings.