How Each American League Team’s Ace Fared in Their Season Debuts: A Fan’s View

Most of the "aces" in Major League Baseball lived up to the hype in their season openers, while others faced early-season adversity.

Here's a look around the American League at how each team's ace fared in their season-openers, and what's next for them:

AL East

New York Yankees: CC Sabathia: Sabathia looked very ordinary on Opening Day, allowing five runs in six innings of work against the Tampa Bay Rays. He's slated to pitch on Apr. 11 against Jake Arrieta and the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Baltimore Orioles, Jake Arrieta: Arrieta pitched a gem against the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day, dazzling hitters with seven scoreless frames. He's slated to pitch on Apr. 11 against Sabathia and the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Boston Red Sox, Jon Lester: Lester took a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day, but looked sharp in seven innings of work. He squares off against Ricky Romero and the Toronto Blue Jays on April 11 at the Rogers Centre.

Tampa Bay Rays, David Price: Price opened his 2012 campaign with a bang, earning a victory over the Yankees on Apr. 7. He has a 1-0 record to go along with a nice 2.84 ERA, and he'll be up against Josh Beckett on Apr. 13.

Toronto Blue Jays, Ricky Romero: Except for one bad inning against the Cleveland Indians, his 2012 debut was stellar. He gave up four runs in a terrible second inning. He'll face the Boston Red Sox and Jon Lester on April 11 at home.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox, John Danks: Danks allowed three runs on six hits in six innings of work against the Texas Rangers on Opening Day, and he goes up against Jeanmar Gomez of the Cleveland Indians on Apr. 11 in a tough road challenge.

Cleveland Indians, Justin Masterson: Masterson held the Blue Jays to just one run in eight innings of work in his season debut, and he'll square off against Philip Humber and the Chicago White Sox on Apr. 10 at home.

Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander: Verlander looked sharp on Opening Day, throwing eight scoreless frames with seven strikeouts. He goes up against James Shields and the Tampa Bay Rays on Apr. 11.

Kansas City Royals, Bruce Chen: Chen threw six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels in the season-opener, and he'll take on the Oakland Athletics on April 11.

Minnesota Twins, Carl Pavano: Pavano gave up four runs and four hits against the Orioles on Opening Day, and he's slated to start opposite Jered Weaver on Apr. 11.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels, Jered Weaver: Weaver was a master at work in his debut, scattering just four hits and walking none against the Kansas City Royals. He'll be starting opposite Carl Pavano on Apr. 11.

Oakland Athletics, Brandon McCarthy: McCarthy tallied a respectable 2.25 ERA to start the season, and he faces off against Bruce Chen and the Royals on Apr. 11 at home.

Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez: Hernandez is off to a shaky start, with a 4.40 ERA in two appearances. He'll likely start on Apr. 13 at home against the Athletics.

Texas Rangers, Yu Darvish: Darvish makes his MLB debut on Apr. 9 against the Seattle Mariners.

Eric Holden is a lifelong New York resident and supporter of both New York-area baseball teams. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

Sources

www.mlb.com, MLB, player and team stats

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.