'It's going to be exciting.' Reds Andrew Abbott ready for Opening Day
GOODYEAR, AZ − Andrew Abbott is ready for his Cincinnati Reds Opening Day start, and that's no small statement given the rollercoaster spring he endured. Since first learning March 8 he'd take up the mantle of Opening Day starter for Cincinnati, a city and fan base that observes the first day of the MLB season like no other, Abbott has battled the finer points of his craft, and maybe even his own mind, to be ready for the moment. Finally, after his last start of the spring March 21, readiness for his first Opening Day start seemed to settle in.
"I thought it looked way more like Abbott," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "In a perfect world, nobody gives up a run (in spring). But certain guys, you're trying to get them ready.
I think we all felt a little better that he − and I think he felt way better, which was the most important thing. " The whole aura around Abbott being named the Opening Day starter seemed to unfold like a movie script. His family happened to be visiting Goodyear March 8.
After Francona tracked Abbott down and informed him he'd been chosen to start Opening day, an impromptu news conference was staged in recognition of the importance of the moment. Then, Abbott departed for a high-profile public appearance at a nearby NASCAR race. For a player who earned his first MLB All-Star nod in 2025 and led a postseason-worthy Reds team in ERA (2.
87), the Opening Day recognition felt like a natural progression. It wasn't what was anticipated at the start of the spring, though. Abbott, too, might have been a prisoner of that thought.
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