MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins postponed their season opener against the Seattle Mariners by a day until Friday because of expected bad weather.
The forecast for Thursday at Target Field called for a mix of rain and snow.
Joe Ryan, a 25-year-old right-hander, is scheduled to be the first rookie to start for the Twins on opening day since Tom Hall in 1969. Acquired from Tampa Bay on July 22 in the Nelson Cruz trade, Ryan was a member of the U.S. team that won a silver medal at last summer's Olympics.
Robbie Ray is to start for the Mariners after agreeing to a $115 million, five-year contract. The 30-year-old left-hander will be the 16th different pitcher to start on opening day for Seattle since the franchise started play in 1977. Marco Gonzales started the previous three after Félix Hernández started 10 in a row from 2009-18.
Friday had been a planned off day. The rescheduled opener is set for same 3:10 p.m. CDT start as Thursday.
