Reigning NL Cy Young Blake Snell Scheduled to Make San Francisco Giants Debut Monday
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin confirmed that premier free agent addition Blake Snell will take the mound next Monday against the Washington Nationals.
The San Francisco Giants capped off their splashy offseason by signing reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in March, but he has yet to take the mound for his new team.
Now, Snell is well on his way towards making his Giants debut.
Manager Bob Melvin told reporters Monday that Snell would start the Giants' game against the Washington Nationals on April 8. He is scheduled to throw a simulated game Wednesday in Los Angeles in order to gear up for his first game action of 2024.
Fans and pundits alike were hoping Snell would be ready for the Giants' first home series of the season, since it lines up with the San Diego Padres' first visit to Oracle Park this year. Snell's first start in a Giants uniform will still take place in San Francisco, it just won't be against his former team.
Snell was healthy this offseason, but he missed out on Spring Training due to his prolonged stay in free agency. By the time Snell inked his two-year, $64 million deal with the Giants, there were only a few games left on the Cactus League schedule.
Last season, Snell went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.189 WHIP, 234 strikeouts and a 6.2 WAR. He capped it off by winning the second Cy Young of his career, with his first coming back in 2018 when he was still with the Tampa Bay Rays.
For his career, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.235 WHIP, 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 21.3 WAR. The 31-year-old lefty spent five seasons in Tampa Bay and two in San Diego before arriving in San Francisco.
The Nationals squad Snell is scheduled to face in his Giants debut is currently 1-3. Fangraphs already has Washington's chances of making the playoffs set at 0.1%.
First pitch for the now much-anticipated series opener between the Giants and Nationals is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET.
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