ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — The St. Louis Cardinals named Matthew Liberatore their Opening Day starter for the 2026 season. The selection followed a 2025 campaign in which Liberatore served as one of the team's regular rotation arms.

Through June 2025, the left-hander carried a 3.70 ERA and ranked among the top 20 starting pitchers in wins above replacement. After completing 10 starts that season, he ranked 14th among Major League Baseball pitchers with a 1.7 fWAR.

Liberatore's performance shifted during a nine-start stretch across July and August 2025. Over that span, his velocity decreased, his home run rate increased, and his ERA approached 6.00.

His results improved in the final month of the regular season. In September 2025, he posted a 3.54 ERA, with his FIP and xFIP both around 4.00. The September rebound followed a stretch in which his ERA had approached 6.00 during the summer months.

Liberatore finished the 2025 season having ranked 14th in fWAR among MLB starters at the 10-start mark, and he closed the year with strong underlying metrics in September. The Cardinals named him their 2026 Opening Day starter following that full-season body of work.