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The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the American League East division. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. As of 2010, The Red Sox have used 58 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 110 seasons. Since the franchise's beginning in 1901, the 58 starters have a combined Opening Day record of 50 wins, 47 losses, 1 tie (50–47–1), and 11 no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game. Although in modern baseball, ties are rare due to extra innings, in 1910, the Red Sox Opening Game against the New York Highlanders was declared a tie due to darkness – at the time, Hilltop Park lacked adequate lighting.
Roger Clemens holds the Red Sox record for most Opening Day starts with eight. The other pitchers with five or more Opening Day starts for Boston are Pedro Martínez (7), Cy Young (6), and Dennis Eckersley (5).
On Opening Day, Red Sox pitchers have a combined record of 23–12 when playing at home. Of those games, pitchers have a 3–0 record at Huntington Avenue Grounds, and a 19–12 record from Fenway Park. When on the road for Opening Day, Red Sox pitchers have a combined record of 29–34–1. For seasons in which Boston would later win the World Series, the starting pitchers have a 3–3 record. For all seasons that go into post-season, Boston pitchers have an Opening Day record of 10–4.