PHOENIX — Cubs left-hander Justin Steele trimmed his hair between his starts in the Tokyo Series and the domestic season opener.
The long-haired, scraggly bearded version of Steele allowed two home runs to the Dodgers in that first start. Maybe a bit of a change would do him good Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Steele is entering his fourth season as a full-time member of the Cubs’ rotation. After putting himself in the Cy Young conversation in 2023 and proving that his success wasn’t a flash in the pan with a consistent performance in ’24, Steele has the opportunity to establish himself as a top year-in, year-out performer.
“Justin’s definitely established a track record, and he’s been very consistent in that regard,” manager Craig Counsell said this spring. “And, absolutely, that’s not easy to do, and it’s a real credit to Justin of how he’s been able to do it. And in talking to Justin, definitely a goal to just be out there every day on his start day. . . . And then, because of the consistency, the good things will unfold.”
Steele missed that mark last season after straining his hamstring reaching for a bunt in his Opening Day start. He made 24 starts, matching his 2022 total but falling six short of his career high.
“I feel like myself, and the strength staff, the training staff, we did a really good job this offseason of making sure my body, my shoulder and everything was in a good place coming into spring training,” said Steele, who has spent the last few offseasons in Arizona.
Fellow southpaw Shota Imanaga secured the honor of Opening Day starter this year, pitching in his home country in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series. But Steele got the second of four openers that the Cubs will be a part of to start the season, technically making starts in back-to-back regular-season games.
After the domestic opening series in Phoenix, the Cubs head to Sacramento, California, where they will be the first team to face the Athletics in a regular-season game at their new temporary home, Sutter Health Park. Then finally the Cubs head to Chicago for their home opener on April 4 against the Padres.
“I would say it’s a good thing,” Steele said this spring. “Brings more fans to the ballparks when there’s a little something special about the game. . . . As far as the players and coaches go, we just treat it like another game as much as we can. Obviously, there’s going to be jitters and excitement leading up to it, and it’s completely fine to feel that stuff. Be aware of it and use it to the best of your ability.”
The Cubs have a tough schedule to begin the season. Before the last week of April, they will have played seven games against the Dodgers and six against the Padres — the reigning World Series champions and the National League West runners-up.
A slow start wouldn’t be surprising. The Cubs did, after all, lose both Tokyo Series games to the Dodgers. But a respectable start could serve as a strong jumping-off point as their schedule eases up in mid-May.
The Cubs’ rotation, led by Steele and Imanaga, will be pivotal in steadying the team as it aims to end a four-year playoff drought.
“Anytime you have expectations on yourself, it’s usually a good thing,” Steele said in Tokyo. “That means you have a pretty good roster, good teammates, and people obviously have expectations. So it’s never a bad thing to have that. It’s our job to fulfill those expectations.”