Archer gets 4th straight Opening Day start for Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays will send a familiar face to the mound to kick off their 2018 season against the Boston Red Sox.

Chris Archer will make his fourth Opening Day start for the Rays on March 29, tying him for the franchise record with James Shields. The start will also be Archer's fourth straight on Opening Day for Tampa, moving him clear of Shields, who made three straight from 2008-10.

"Never gets old," Archer said, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain. "To do it four consecutive years, it's always a goal of mine. And it's such a pitching-rich organization, it's an honor every single year to represent the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of the season."

Manager Kevin Cash announced his decision Thursday and mentioned that Archer would be joined by Blake Snell, a bullpen day, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jake Faria in the Rays rotation.

"(Making four straight Opening Day starts) is saying something about the body of work he's put together throughout his early career here and how much we value him and count on him to go lead us for the last four Opening Days," Cash explained of Archer.

The 29-year-old Archer pitched more than 200 innings for a third consecutive season in 2017, posting a 4.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while striking out 249 across 34 starts.