After an offseason in which they pursued the same starting pitchers, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers met for the first time of the 2016 season on Tuesday. Although the matchup was the Dodgers’ home opener, it was the eighth contest for both clubs.
Given they’d already played one week’s worth of games, Zack Greinke nor Clayton Kershaw were on the mound for the afternoon affair, and neither will pitch in the three-game series. Greinke of course spurned the Dodgers to sign a six-year, $206.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks this past offseason.
The aftermath of Greinke’s decision left some wondering what went wrong and how the D-Backs outbid the deep-pocketed Dodgers. One theory suggested the Dodgers’ decision to not discuss a contract extension during the 2015 season was too big of a hurdle to overcome.
Another rumbling attributed Greinke’s departure to his disdain for Yasiel Puig and the culture in the clubhouse. However, Greinke adamantly shot down that notion, via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com:
“Honestly, that had zero to do with anything,” Greinke said. “The clubhouse over there is fantastic. Especially last season, it was a really good place. There are a lot of great guys over there. I would say it would be much more of a positive — the way the clubhouse is — than a negative.”
While he is one of the more exciting players in baseball when healthy, he’s also endured his fair share of criticism since his Major League debut in 2013. Puig spent the offseason shedding weight and with a renewed focus that’s endeared him to the Dodgers coaching staff and teammates.
Once called the “worst person in baseball” by an ex-teammate, Puig received praise from Clayton Kershaw during Spring Training for his work ethic.
As for Greinke, it’s hardly been smooth sailing with his new club. The right-hander has already given up 11 earned runs in 10 innings pitched over his two starts. Greinke allowed 41 runs over 32 starts last season.
On top of not pitching in the series, Greinke also didn’t have to face the Dodger Stadium crowd, as only the Diamondbacks lineup was introduced prior to first pitch on Tuesday.
