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Clayton Kershaw named Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day starter

By Patrick Schmidt

Oct 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) pitches the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Clayton Kershaw will be the team’s Opening Day starter, because of course he is.

In a move that wouldn’t even come as a surprise to someone who was living on a distant planet for the last few years, the Dodgers announced the best pitcher in the world, Clayton Kershaw, will be the team’s Opening Day starter.

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Of course everyone knew this was a formality but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly wanted to let Kershaw know first before spilling the beans to the media.

“We talked about three or four days ago,” Mattingly said, via ESPN Los Angeles. “I said, ‘The next time they ask me, I’m just going to let them know.’ I was just waiting for you.”

This will be Kershaw’s fifth straight Opening Day start who said he was preparing preparing for the opportunity.

“I was prepared for it, but you never know. We’ve got a lot of good pitchers here,” Kershaw said. “Now, I’ve got a goal date: April 6.”

Kershaw went 21-3 and led the National League in ERA for the fourth straight season with a career-best 1.77 ERA, the second year in a row with a sub-2.00 ERA, and won his third Cy Young and first MVP award.

Unfortunately, Kershaw’s regular season dominance didn’t carryover into the postseason where he had a disappointing playoffs for the second year in a row. Kershaw went 0-2 in two starts in the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals who collected 12 hits and 11 earned runs in 12.2 innings.

In 2013, Kershaw went 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals in the NLCS. For his career, Kershaw is 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 playoff games, including eight starts.

The Dodgers begin their defense of the National League West title on April 6 against the San Diego Padres and hope to give Kershaw a few more opportunities to improve on his ordinary playoff numbers.

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