McClanahan will start Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
It's quite an honor for a rookie to get the ball in the first game of the postseason for the No. 1 seed in the American League, but it's hard to say it's undeserved. McClanahan finished his debut season with a well-supported 3.43 ERA across 25 starts, striking out 27.3 percent of opposing batters while walking 7.2 percent. This won't actually be his first taste of the postseason; he made four relief appearances in last year's playoffs despite not pitching a single time in the 2020 regular season.