BRADENTON, Fla. — Francisco Liriano is set to start on opening day for Pittsburgh, making him the first Pirates pitcher in quite a while to draw the honor two years in a row.

Manager Clint Hurdle made the announcement Tuesday. The Pirates begin the regular season on April 6 at Cincinnati.

Liriano will be the first Pirates pitcher to start on opening day in consecutive seasons since Oliver Perez in 2005-06.

“We just want to put to rest that we’ve had nine different opening day pitchers in a row,” Hurdle said. “We wanted to settle down and kick that one to the curb.”