Opening Day is a special time of year for most baseball players. There’s the pageantry, the hope of a new season and a fresh start that can be a joyous occasion, even for someone that’s done it many times.
But for at least one member of the Pirates bullpen, this year’s Opening Day had a good bit more meaning than just the start of a new baseball season.
For left-handed reliever Josh Smoker, it was his second time lining up on the first day of the season, having done the same thing with the Mets last year.