Megill (1-0) earned the win over Washington on Thursday, pitching five scoreless innings and allowing three hits while striking out six. He did not walk any batters.
For much of the spring, Megill was looking at starting the campaign in the minors, but an injury to Jacob deGrom (shoulder) opened the door for Megill to claim a big-league rotation spot. The right-hander was thrust into the Opening Day start to give Max Scherzer more time to recover from a hamstring issue, and he proved undaunted by the spotlight, throwing 47 of 68 pitches for strikes and allowing only four Nationals baserunners. Megill held his own in his first taste of the majors last season and could solidify a permanent rotation spot if he performs well while deGrom is out. Megill's second start is likely to come next week at Philadelphia.