BRADENTON, Fla. — When Clint Hurdle named Ivan Nova the Pirates' opening day starter and Jameson Taillon the starter for the opener at PNC Park, neither pitcher took the news lightly.
After all, both men traveled circuitous paths to claim their spots atop the Pirates' starting rotation. Nova, 31, didn't spend a full season as a major league starter until last season — his eighth since making his debut with the Yankees in 2010.
Taillon, 26, missed two full seasons because of Tommy John and hernia surgeries, and he was diagnosed with testicular cancer last May, returning to start 19 more games for the Pirates.
Hurdle's announcement, which came following Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays in Dunedin, outlines when each pitcher will take the mound leading up to both openers. However, it also established that both men will lead what Hurdle described earlier this spring as a "new era of Pirates baseball."
"Awesome, awesome," Nova repeated, beaming at his locker stall at LECOM Park Thursday morning. "It’s a privilege to have that honor. Every starting pitcher’s dream is to start the season for their team, be the opening day guy."
Both pitchers were summoned to Hurdle's office for a conversation with the manager and Neal Huntington, where they were informed of the news. Although Nova and Taillon treasure the "privilege," the assignments hold different meaning for them.
Nova's career didn't go as planned with the Yankees. He struggled so badly at High-A in 2008 that he was left exposed in the Rule 5 draft. The Padres selected the right-hander, only to return him to New York after a disastrous spring training start in late March.
Nova made his major-league debut with the Yankees two years later. However, he spent most of his six-plus seasons there bouncing back and forth between the bullpen and rotation. He was also demoted to Triple-A four times.
The Yankees used Nova as a long reliever at the start of 2016, but he returned to the rotation for 15 starts before he was traded to the Pirates in August 2016, where he recorded a 3.06 ERA and 1.098 WHIP in 11 starts to finish the season.
Nova had 52 strikeouts to three walks in 11 starts with the Pirates to finish the season. He then signed a three-year contract extension with the club last offseason, which proved to be one of the best offseason moves by the front office in recent years.
Nova was named National League Pitcher of the Month last April and posted a 3.21 ERA in 18 starts before the All-Star break. But inflammation in his left knee slowed him in the second half, leading to a 5.83 ERA in his final 13 starts. Opponents batted .316 against him during that span, and his ground-ball rate plummeted six percent while his home run-to-fly-ball ratio rose six percent.
With Gerrit Cole gone, Nova, who lost 10 pounds in the offseason, entered spring as the leader of a young pitching staff, leading Hurdle to label him as "the dean."
Nova joked that he thought he was in trouble when Ray Searage summoned him to meet with Hurdle and Huntington, but what followed was news he'd been waiting to hear for his entire career.
"I think it feels good every time, every day, every month and every year," Nova said. "I said when I signed here that this is the place I want to be and I still feel that way."
For Taillon, pitching the home opener will conjure up some nostalgia. He returned to the mound at PNC Park last June only five weeks after he underwent surgery.
Taillon, a second-overall draft pick of the Pirates in 2010, shared the news with family and friends at the conclusion of his meeting with Hurdle and Huntington on Wednesday morning, and he agreed when one reporter described the assignment as a "badge of honor."
"That’s a good way of putting it," Taillon said. "Last year I got to make my return from surgery at PNC Park. The fans were really receptive to that, so it’s an honor to get to pitch in front of them."
The right-hander reached Triple-A in his third professional season, but he missed the 2014 and 2015 seasons after Tommy John and hernia surgeries. He returned to the mound in 2016 and finally reached the major leagues, recording a 1.11 WHIP in 18 starts with the Pirates after he was recalled.
Taillon made the opening day roster last spring, and he made 25 starts in his first full professional season. Although Taillon struggled in the second half of the season — a 5.96 ERA in 14 starts following the All-Star break — he finished with a 4.44 ERA.
Taillon is as regimented as any pitcher on the Pirates' staff. He spends countless hours studying analytics and watching film. So, an ability to intricately plan his preparation for the season was as important to him as the status that comes along with starting the home opener.
Now he knows when he'll be pitching for the rest of spring training, as well as at least a handful of starts at the beginning of the season.
"I told [Searage] after that this was such a relief because I’m a planner," Taillon, seated next to Nova in the LECOM Park clubhouse, said. "I like to plan things. That’s my personality. I don't like having stuff thrown on me. This is good for my mental state to be able to plan. It’s one less thing on my plate."