Milwaukee City Wire

As opening day fast approaches, Milwaukee Brewers Cy Young-winner Corbin Burnes finds himself in the place he always thought he deserved to be.

"I've always known I had the stuff to be the top pitcher in the league, but as far as where I wanted to be, whether it be an opening-day starter, Cy Young, all-star, that's not something I've ever had my mind set on," Burnes said in a Twitter video posted this week after being named the Brewers' opening-day starter at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on April 7. "That's something you kind of dream about as a kid, but once you get into pro ball it's all about [performing] to the best of your ability."

With the 27-year-old Burnes having been one of the league's top pitchers over the last two seasons, the honor comes as one that's well-deserved. The announcement came after Burnes threw approximately 75 pitches in five crisp innings in a 5-2 exhibition-season win over the San Francisco Giants. He allowed just one hit, retired 14 of the last 16 hitters he faced and struck out eight.

Burnes admits he's had to cover a lot of ground to get to this point. Back in 2019, he went 1-5 with an 8.82 ERA. Since then, over the last two seasons, he's posted a16-5 record with an ERA around 2.7. Last season, he went 11-5 with an MLB-leading 2.43 ERA, striking out 234 in 167 innings while issuing only 34 walks. In 2021, Burnes also combined with reliever Josh Harder to notch the team's second no-hitter, enroute to becoming just the second hurler over the last generation to win the Cy Young Award.

But Burnes is taking it all in stride.

"On a team like this, it could have been any of the five guys in the rotation," he told MLB.com.

In putting in the work and taking the steps needed to get where he is, Burnes adjusted his grip and turned a hittable four-seam fastball into one of baseball's best cutters. He also underwent Lasik and worked with a mental-skills coach to get his mindset where it needed to be.

"Once you get into pro ball, it's all about how you can stay in the big leagues and perform to the best of your ability," he said. "I learned after 2019, it's going to be through the mental game for me."

Burnes said his goals this season include making at least 30 starts and continuing his improvement in practically every other area.

Count Brewers manager Craig Counsell among those who can see it happening.

"There's great pitchers that have done this," Counsell told MLB.com. "Roy Halladay comes to mind, somebody who did a similar path. It's the nature of how competitors and great athletes find a way to keep going and not be knocked down. As much as anything, it's not on the physical side that Corbin made all these improvements. It's the rest of the game where he has controlled everything so well and been so good at."