The Chicago Cubs announced Sunday that Jeff Samardzija will serve as the starting pitcher in the team's season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 1st. Samardzija led amongst Chicago pitchers in wins (9), strikeouts (180), and ERA (3.81) despite having an overall losing record.
"What he did his last eight starts, he is a guy you want out there," Cubs manager Sveum said of Samardzija. "He is a guy players rally around because of his work ethic. He has that bulldog mentality. This was a very obvious choice."
The former dual-sport standout from Notre Dame elected to play baseball over football and was drafted by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB amatuer draft. Samardzija made the transition from the Cubs' bullpen to the rotation in 2012. He began his training period in November 2011 when most players begin to rest after eight months of baseball. He repeated that offseason regiment in 2012.
Samardzija replaces injured Cubs pitcher Matt Garza, who will start the season on the DL. Garza suffered a hand injury during the team's first week of spring training and told the team he felt a twinge in the injured area.
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