Red Sox Opening Day lineup vs. Orioles includes an interesting surprise

Red Sox Opening Day lineup vs. Orioles includes an interesting surprise originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox begin their 2023 MLB season Thursday with an Opening Day game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.

It will be a chilly, windy afternoon in Boston with temperatures in the thirties.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has unveiled his first lineup of the year, and there's a surprise at the bottom.

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Kiké Hernandez is batting ninth and playing shortstop. Hernandez typically bats near the top of the order. In fact, 188 of his 366 at-bats in 2022 came in the leadoff spot. Just 15 of his at-bats were at the bottom of the order.

Alex Verdugo is in the leadoff spot for Opening Day. Rafael Devers will bat second, followed by newcomers Justin Turner batting third and Masataka Yoshida in the cleanup spot.

Corey Kluber gets the start in his Red Sox debut. The veteran right-hander posted a 10-10 record with a 4.34 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

Here's the full Red Sox lineup for the first of 162 regular season games.

1. Alex Verdugo, RF

2. Rafael Devers, 3B

3. Justin Turner, DH

4. Masataka Yoshida, LF

5. Adam Duvall, CF

6. Triston Casas, 1B

7. Christian Arroyo, 2B

8. Reese McGuire, C

9. Kiké Hernández, SS