The St. Louis Cardinals opened the 2017 season with the rotation of Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Mike Leake, and Michael Wacha. Without a doubt, there were a ton of concerns from the fans and management about this rotation and the success of the team.
Martinez is arguably the only pitcher that deserved full confidence heading into this season and his Opening Day start against the Chicago Cubs only strengthened the support behind him. He pitched an absolute gem over 7.1 innings and recorded 10 strikeouts while issuing 0 walks and allowing 6 hits.