Over a month before the first pitch of the 2026 MLB season, the Houston Astros have announced a major decision.
The Astros have awarded their top pitcher from 2025 with the reward of taking the mound on Opening Day.
Hunter Brown will be the Astros Opening Day starter when Houston welcomes the Los Angeles Angels to Daikin Park.
Brown will open up the 2026 season by starting game No. 1 of their three-game set with Los Angeles that begins on March 26 at 4:10 pm ET.
Brown took his game to another level in 2025
Brown emerged as one of the best pitchers in the American League last season, finishing third in the AL’s Cy Young race. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Posting a 6.1 bWAR, Brown recorded a 12-9 record with 206 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA in 185.1 innings pitched. He allowed only 50 runs against him all season and registered a 1.025 WHIP.
Prior to his stellar 2025 campaign, Brown was 11-9 in 2024 and 11-13 in the season before. He improved his ERA from 5.09 in his first full season in 2023 after breaking into the Big Leagues with a couple wins in 2022 to 3.49 in 2024.
Brown already has tons of big game experience under his belt
Overall through four years, Brown has a cumulative ERA of 3.49 and a 36-31 record in 100 appearances and 92 starts.
Brown has also proved to be a reliable big game pitcher, which likely further led to being comfortable with handing the ball to him to start the new season. He was part of the Astros’ World Series winning group in 2022, pitching three scoreless innings throughout that postseason. Brown put up ERAs of 2.57 in the 2023 playoffs and then 1.59 in 2024.
But despite Brown’s brilliance, Houston failed to return to the playoffs last year – they went 87-75 and finished in three games behind the American League West champion Seattle Mariners. The pressure is now on Brown and company to get back to October.