Clayton Kershaw bore the brunt of the blame for the Los Angeles Dodgers having their 2019 season end prematurely as he squandered a lead en route to an eventual loss to the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
It capped off what had been an inconsistent year for the left-hander and one that began with a stint on the 10-day injured list because of shoulder trouble. It prevented Kershaw from extending his franchise-record streak of Opening Day starts to nine.
Had Kershaw started the 2019 season opener, that not only would’ve extended his streak but also potentially led to breaking another Dodgers record. His five wins on Opening Day are tied with Don Drysdale for most in franchise history.
That opportunity has presented itself once more, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts officially named Kershaw the club’s 2020 Opening Day starter for a matchup with the San Francisco Giants on March 26, according to David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Clayton Kershaw will start Opening Day.
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) March 9, 2020
The decision isn’t much of a surprise, even when taking into account Walker Buehler‘s rise last season. In delaying making the Dodgers’ choice public knowledge, Roberts recently said the Opening Day starter would be one of two pitchers — alluding, of course, to Buehler and Kershaw.
That it would be Kershaw was further supported by the starting rotation order in Cactus League play. Though, Roberts attempted to downplay its significance. “You can read whatever you want into that order,” he recently said.
“Obviously, we’re looking at off days and things can happen, but you can make what you want with it.”
The Dodgers are 7-1 in Kershaw’s Opening Day starts, with their lone loss coming to the Giants in 2018. Kershaw personally is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA and 59 strikeouts across 51.2 innings pitched in those games.
After continuing to throw throughout the offseason and visiting Driveline Baseball, he is enjoying a healthy Spring Training. “You can watch him and see how much different his body is moving,” Roberts noted.
“That in itself is very exciting for all of us. I’m just thrilled with where he’s at. All the other fine-tuning will take care of itself. To have him in a place where he can get back to what he was before as far as his body, that’s really exciting.
“What I see is when you’re not completely healthy — with any player — there’s a doubt, there’s a wondering of when the shoe drops, and you’re kind of holding on. Now, it seems like that’s in the past and he’s feeling so good that there’s more clarity and confidence with how the body is going to react to whatever workload is ahead of him.”
Clayton Kershaw Opening Day starts
| Season | Opponent | Result | Innings Pitched | Hits | Earned Runs | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | vs. Giants | Win | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 2012 | @ Padres | No Decision | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2013 | vs. Giants | Win | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| 2014 | vs. Diamondbacks (Australia) | Win | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 2015 | vs. Padres | No Decision | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 2016 | @ Padres | Win | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2017 | vs. Padres | Win | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 2018 | vs. Giants | Loss | 6.0 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 2021 | @ Rockies | Loss | 5.2 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
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