Bucs’ Keller gets opening day nod — and a bottle of bubbly

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton handed Mitch Keller the opening day assignment and a celebratory bottle of bubbly. Shelton broke the news to the 26-year-old right-hander that he’ll get the nod when Pittsburgh begins the season at Cincinnati on March 30. In a video posted on the Pirates’ Twitter feed, Shelton and Keller sat down in the manager’s office and began discussing the right-hander’s side session. Shelton asked how many pitches he threw, and then asked Keller how many he thinks he’ll throw on the 30th. Keller asked what the 30th was and the manager replied, “opening day.”