SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Kirk Rueter will be the Opening Day starter for the San Francisco Giants.

	Kirk Rueter Starting Pitcher San Francisco Giants Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L Sv K ERA 33 14 8 0 76 3.23

The left-hander will pitch March 31 at San Diego, followed by right-hander Jason Schmidt.

"As long as I'm pitching once every five days,'' the 32-year-old Rueter said Sunday. "It's not like they're naming a starting quarterback. It's fun, but it's one start in 33.''

The other three spots most likely will go to right-hander Livan Hernandez, lefty Damian Moss and probably Kurt Ainsworth or Ryan Jensen.

Manager Felipe Alou said the decisions have been made but not the order in which to pitch them. Alou is not a manager set on alternating lefties and righties.

"We're going to wait to the last minute,'' Alou said.

Rueter went 14-8 last season with a 3.23 ERA in 33 starts for the defending NL champions. He became the first Giants' lefty to win at least 10 games in six straight seasons since Johnny Antonelli from 1954-59.

Rueter has a 109-68 career record, and the Giants won 75 percent of his starts last year, going 25-8.

Alou said the decision on Rueter was made Sunday morning. Alou, who managed Rueter in Montreal, said there wasn't one determining factor.

"His won-loss record lifetime and what he means to this club,'' Alou said. "Schmidt is deserving, too. You can only have one guy.''

Schmidt was 13-8 in 2002 with a 3.45 ERA, winning two postseason games as the Giants reached the World Series for the first time since 1989. Schmidt beat St. Louis once in the NL championship series and won Game 1 of the World Series against eventual champion Anaheim.

"I'm happy for him,'' Schmidt said. "He deserves it. He's a quality guy and a quality pitcher. We all get the same amount of starts, so it's really not a big deal.''

Rueter agreed in spring training to a two-year, $12 million contract extension that runs through 2005.