Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Opening Day Starter, Professional, Ace

Opening Day is a festive time for all 30 MLB clubs - the Arizona Diamondbacks are no exception. But for one Opening Day starter, this year's game one might be particularly poignant.

Right-hander Zac Gallen, the Diamondbacks' ace and 2025 Opening Day starter, looks forward to the advent of a new season as much as anyone.

"When it's Opening Day, you're just excited that the season's here," Gallen told reporters. "Especially after a year where you don't make the playoffs, you don't play that long. It feels like Opening Day's never going to get here."

Though with that excitement comes a not-so-hidden storyline lurking underneath the honor of Gallen's anointment as Opening Day starter.

The recent signing of star right-hander Corbin Burnes threw a proverbial knuckle-curve into a decision that might have been made in mere seconds years prior. Manager Torey Lovullo agonized over his options, but eventually settled on one conclusion: Gallen would get the ball on March 27.

It might be difficult for fans to understand why an elite, Cy Young-winning arm like Burnes might play second-fiddle to Gallen, but the fact is there's much more to it than ERA or strikeouts.

Gallen has spent the last six seasons in Arizona after coming over in a trade with the Marlins in 2019. He's been there through the best and worst of times.

"At the end of the day, Zac's been here for a long time," said Lovullo. "I have a very strong bond with Zac. He's seen some darkness here; he's come out the other end."

And Gallen shined bright in some of those dark times. Following a 110-loss 2021 season, it was Gallen's deadly 2.54 ERA, 12-4 record, and franchise-record 44.1 inning scoreless streak that spearheaded a 24-win improvement in 2022.

And as light began to dawn on an unprecedented pennant race in 2023, Gallen was there delivering his best in the most crucial moments. With Arizona's back to the wall — facing elimination in game five of the World Series — the righty did what aces do.

Gallen took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of that game. It was the longest no-hit bid by a team facing elimination in World Series history.

Though the D-backs' offense ultimately failed to capitalize, it's those types of performances that weigh on the mind of a manager like Lovullo when it comes time to fill out the Opening Day lineup card — Gallen's third-place finish in the 2023 NL Cy Young voting doesn't hurt, either.

But as valuable as Gallen has been to Arizona, a less positive factor arises alongside the triumphs.

Gallen is a free agent after 2025.

Considering the lucrative market for ace-caliber starting pitching, the Diamondbacks could find themselves quickly out of the running to re-sign their ace, especially while paying $210 million for Burnes.

It's not much of a stretch to posit that both the organization and Gallen himself would readily welcome a return to the desert, but there lingers a hunch that Gallen's third straight Opening Day start might be his last in the Sedona red.

But he isn't necessarily thinking about his future paycheck. For the righty, it's a childhood-esque experience to welcome in a new MLB season.

"[I'm] just excited, just like being a kid. And it's the first day of the season. You know, Little League, whatever, high school, college, you name it. Opening Day's special, whatever age you're at.

"Just the feeling that baseball is back. For me, it goes back to growing up in New Jersey. When baseball was back, that meant good weather. Granted, we still played a couple of weeks in the cold here and there, but the nicer days were a little more frequent," Gallen said.

But it took a long month-and-a-half of Spring Training to get to that warm weather. For Gallen, it was a generally sharp Spring. Over 9.1 innings, the righty threw to a 2.89 ERA with 10 strikeouts.

It's not as if those numbers matter much, other than speaking to the dominance of Gallen's arsenal. But even throughout the course of Spring Training, the right-hander was focused more on what was to come.

Starting Thursday, there will be one fewer "weapon" available to pitchers. MLB's newly-engineered Automatic Balls and Strikes system (ABS) was tested out in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. It will not be implemented in the regular season — yet.

Gallen said he isn't exactly a major supporter of the system for the time being, and that he tried to avoid using it, since it wouldn't be available once games began to count.

"It's fine. I mean, I still think there's a lot of kinks that need to be worked out on it. ... You don't want to take the baseball-ness out of baseball. That's kind of my feeling.

"I tried not to use it too much, knowing that starting [Thursday], it's not going to be a thing," Gallen said.

That might be a surprising answer to hear from a pitcher as intellectual, technical and detail-oriented as Gallen is.

But despite the New Jersey native's quintessential dry-wit sarcasm and reserved, almost-aloof exterior, underneath the surface lies a true professional.

Though all pitchers might want more favorable calls to go their way, Gallen has an old-school, veteran-style approach to dealing with umpires — even when calls don't align with what he's looking for.

"I try to do my best to not show the umpires up. ... They're human. But also at the same time, we're out there, we're competing. And this game's hard, and the hitters that we're competing against are good. The saying goes, 'they drive nice cars, too.'

"There are some times where, as a pitcher, you feel like you need it. You threw a strike, and you need that pitch for a guy who's a threat in the middle of the lineup. And there's been some times I've been upset," Gallen said.

"But I try to do my best. ... I try to just talk to the [umpires] after the inning and just say, 'where'd you have that pitch? Did you have it just off?' There's pretty decent dialogue about it."

Gallen emphasized the importance of staying level-headed. Major league hitters will jump at the opportunity to exploit a flustered pitcher.

"Even as a kid, I've tried to keep my emotions in check for the most part, and not give the other team any sort of advantage or inch," the ace said.

But ultimately, once 7:10 p.m. on Thursday rolls around, every emotion, every pitch, and every inch will matter to a Diamondbacks club that's ravenous for success after falling just short the year before.

Gallen said there's something special about this Diamondbacks team, and that's what has the ace fired up to take the mound Thursday.

"I think now it's just the energy, the vibe around this team. The excitement that we have about ourselves in the clubhouse," said Gallen. "What's at stake, and what we're hopefully able to accomplish. I think that's my favorite part going into Opening Day this year."