Wade Miley to add name to D-backs’ list of Opening Day starters

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hours away from taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Australia as part of a two-game series to open the 2014 MLB season.

Wade Miley is slated to start for the D-backs, making him the first person other than Ian Kennedy to get an Opening Day start for the club since 2010.

The past three seasons have started with Ian Kennedy taking the hill, but he’s in San Diego now.

Patrick Corbin was expected to take the mound, but he will likely miss the rest of the year with UCL damage.

So, it will be Wade’s world Saturday.

Below is a list of every Opening Day starter for the D-backs since 1998.

1998 – Andy Benes threw out the first pitch in franchise history against the Colorado Rockies in a 9-2 loss. He threw 6.1 innings, allowing five earned runs while adding a strikeout and a walk.

1999 – After agreeing to a four-year contract, Randy Johnson took the mound for the first time as a D-back, throwing seven innings and giving up two runs while striking out nine in an extra-innings loss.

2000 – After winning the 1999 NL Cy Young Award, Johnson was named the Opening Day starter and pitched a gem of a game, throwing 8.2 innings and striking out 10 in a 6-4 win over the Phillies.

2001 – Johnson would cruise against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs in a 3-2 win. The back-to-back NL Cy Young Award winner struck out 10 batters in the opening game for the second year in a row.

2002 – Johnson continued his streak of Opening Day starts with a complete game shutout against the San Diego Padres. The lefty gave up six hits, struck out eight and walked one in the 2-0 victory.

2003 – The three-game Opening Day win streak came to an end as Johnson pitched 6.2 innings, gave up three earned runs on nine hits, and took the loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0.

2004 – In his last season as a D-back, Johnson gave up six hits and three earned runs in six innings. He also struck out six batters, but the Colorado Rockies won the game 6-2.

2005 – Received in the trade that sent Randy Johnson to New York, Javier Vazquez took the mound for the D-backs and didn’t get out of the second inning. In 1.2 innings, Vazquez surrendered 10 hits and seven earned runs in a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

2006 – After signing a four-year contract extension, Brandon Webb started the first game of the season for the D-backs against the Colorado Rockies. Webb threw seven innings, giving up five hits and one earned run in a no decision, as Arizona lost 3-2 in 11 innings.

2007 – Webb took the mound again and avenged the ’06 Opening Day loss with an 8-6 victory against the Colorado Rockies. Webb would not register the win, giving up five runs on eight hits.

2008 – The D-backs traveled to Cincinnati to open up the 2008 season, with Webb taking the mound once again and earning his first Opening Day victory in three tries. In six innings, Webb gave up two runs on three hits, while walking four and striking out six in the 4-2 win.

2009 – Despite giving up six runs on six hits in four innings of work, Webb started his fourth-straight Opening Day game as the D-backs found a way to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8.

2010 – Dan Haren got the Opening Day nod and worked the San Diego Padres in seven innings of work, giving up a lone run on three hits while striking out four in the 6-3 win.

2011 – Ian Kennedy was named the 2011 Opening Day starter and threw six innings while striking out three and walking three, but did not earn the win. A wild pitch in the 11th inning allowed the winning run to cross the plate in a 7-6 win against the Colorado Rockies.

2012 – Kennedy earned a win in his second straight Opening Day start, following a 5-4 victory against the San Francisco Giants. Kennedy pitched 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on nine hits.

2013 – Last year’s Opening Day featured Kennedy striking out eight batters through seven innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, as he and the D-backs beat Adam Wainwright to earn a 6-2 win.

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