Gore's first Opening Day assignment a 'growth moment' for Nats lefty

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- MacKenzie Gore is the kind of locked-in hurler who lets his pitching do the talking. So when manager Dave Martinez informed the 26-year-old southpaw he had earned his first Opening Day start, Martinez tailored his approach.

“I just walked over and said, ‘By the way, you’re pitching Opening Day. Good luck,’” Martinez said Monday morning. “He just looked at me and goes, ‘OK, thank you.’ I said, ‘All right, buddy. Let’s go. We follow your lead.’”

Gore will face off against right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Phillies, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on March 27 at Nationals Park.

“It’s a big honor,” Gore said. “You’re grateful for everything good we’ve done, and then you’re thankful for the people around you because it doesn’t happen without them.”

Gore is entering his fourth big league season. Last year, he led the Nationals in ERA (3.90) and set career bests in starts (32) and innings pitched (166 1/3).

Gore dropped his home run rate from 1.8 in 2023 to 0.8 in ‘24. That mark ranked fifth in the National League. Gore held opponents to nine homers in his last 20 starts of the season.

Among NL pitchers, Gore also ranked seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (9.79), and his squared-up contact percentage (27.7) was ninth lowest among all pitchers with a minimum of 500 competitive swings, per Baseball Savant.

“He's matured a lot,” said Martinez. “I think he's starting to understand who he is, really. His stuff is so good. He's actually really starting to understand how to use his stuff, which is amazing.”

Gore will look to pick up on Opening Day where he left off at the end of 2024. From Aug. 23 to the end of the season, Gore ranked fifth in baseball with a 1.55 ERA. He gave up two or fewer earned runs during those seven starts. His last outing of the season was six scoreless innings against -- Wheeler and the Phillies on Sept. 28.

“We were throwing the ball well then, and understanding that if we do that every time out, it’s pretty good,” Gore said. “Stuff’s in a great spot. I’ve got a really good idea of what I need to do every time out, and I’m super confident going in.”

In three starts this spring, Gore is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. He has recorded 14 strikeouts, allowed 11 hits and five walks. He allowed his first earned runs this spring on Monday, when he threw five innings of two-run ball in the Nats' 6-2 loss to the Cardinals.

“The biggest thing with him is the control of heartbeat and just be[ing] where his feet are,” Martinez said. “In high-leverage situations, he needs to just understand, just get to that next pitch. ….

“There have been some moments where I saw in the past where he could lose it and blow up. This spring, he's kind of taken a step back and really honed in on trying to get that next hitter right away. And it's been great.”

Gore was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Padres and acquired in the Juan Soto blockbuster deal in 2022. He was named the 2017 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year.

“Of course everybody wants to start Opening Day,” Gore said. “But I don’t necessarily go, 'I want to win this award or get this recognition.' I just want to be the best version of myself. I think if I do that, good things will happen.”

Gore will anchor a starting rotation that includes right-handers Jake Irvin, Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams. The fifth starter spot is still up for grabs, with left-handers Mitchell Parker, DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara contending.

“It's definitely a growth moment for him,” said Martinez. “To be the guy that could go represent us Opening Day is awesome as a starting pitcher. Like I told them, 'We're going to follow you.' I know that he understands it's a big stepping stone for him.”