The Minnesota Twins announced that Pablo Lopez will start his third consecutive Opening Day. This is the first time a Twins pitcher will start three or more consecutive Opening Days since Twins Hall of Famer Brad Radke, who started seven from 1999 to 2005.

This got me thinking about who the best Opening-Day starters of all time in Twins history are.

Here are the top three Opening-Day pitchers since the franchise moved to Minnesota before the 1961 season:

Bert Blyleven

No list of the greatest pitchers in franchise history would be complete without the Dutchman. In his career, Blyleven started six Opening-Day games for the Twins, including five straight between 1972 and 1976.

 On April 7, 1987, Blyleven returned as the Twins’ Opening Day starter, where, at age 36, pitched eight innings and struck out six in a Twins extra-innings win over Oakland.

Blyleven pitched for five MLB teams, but most of his career and success came as a Minnesota Twin. From 1970-76 and 1985-88, Blyleven accumulated 149 of his 287 career wins in a Twins uniform.

His 1973 season was his best overall, where he accumulated a whopping 9.7 bWAR and nine shutouts for the Twins. Had there been more emphasis on advanced data such as WAR and ERA+, Blyleven would have gotten more recognition than seventh in the AL Cy Young award voting totals.

Brad Radke

Since the franchise moved to Minnesota before 1961, no pitcher has started more Twins Opening-Day games than Radke. In his 12-year career with the Twins, Radke started on Opening Day from 1996-97 and then, as previously noted, from 1999-2005.

Radke could have started the 1998 Opening Day game, but the Twins decided to go with Bob Tewksbury and save Radke for the home opener that season.

Pitching near the height of the Steroid Era, Radke surrendered 72 home runs in his first two seasons as a Twin. However, Radke solidified himself as the ace of the Twins staff in 1997, where he won 12 consecutive starts from June 7 to Aug. 4.

That special 1997 season saw Radke finish with a career-high 174 strikeouts and helped the right-hander finish third in the AL Cy Young voting total. Radke’s 148 career wins are the fourth most in Twins franchise history.

Frank Viola

Viola is best remembered as the 1987 World Series MVP, but he was the Twins’ Opening-Day starter from 1985-86 and 1988-89.

In eight seasons with the Twins, Viola established himself as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in franchise history. From 1982 to 1989, Viola won 112 wins, collected 1,287 strikeouts, and accumulated 27.8 bWAR.

While he did not start on Opening Day in 1987, that season changed the trajectory of Viola’s career.

After starting the season 6-6, Viola rattled off five straight wins, finished the season with a 17-10 record, and finished sixth in the Cy Young Voting.

The following year, Viola finished the 1988 season with a remarkable 24-7 record, a career-low 2.64 ERA, and 193 strikeouts.

As a result, Viola won the 1988 AL Cy Young Award, becoming the first Twin to win the award since Jim Perry in 1970.