The Angels may have made their Opening Day call with José Soriano, but Houston Astros fans already know the more interesting part of this series probably comes the next day. If the rotation lines up the way it is currently expected to, Houston could get Yusei Kikuchi against Tatsuya Imai in Game 2 of the season, which would make this the latest Japanese-born starter matchup in MLB history and add another layer to one of the more fascinating early-season storylines on the Astros’ schedule.
Soriano was officially named the Angels’ Opening Day starter for March 26 in Houston, while Kikuchi is still expected to start one of the four games in that opening series.