Dave Roberts collected his first managerial win on this day in Los Angeles Dodgers history. It came in the fashion of a 15-0 rout of the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 4, 2016.
That set an MLB record for the biggest shutout win in Opening Day history and tied the National League mark for largest margin of victory in a season opener. The previous record was a 14-0 win by the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds in 1911.
“I remember getting something afterwards. It was not a shower, but Adrian put some stuff over my head,” Roberts reflected. “I just remember being really excited to get No. 1. I remember being in San Diego. Time flies, I guess. I’ve just been very, very fortunate.”
Clayton Kershaw took the mound for what was a sixth career Opening Day start. He allowed a single to Jon Jay with two outs in the third inning, then retired the final 13 batters faced.
Kershaw tossed seven shutout innings and collected nine strikeouts against just one walk. By the time he exited the Dodgers had already taken their 15-0 lead.
Five players had at least two hits, with Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez tying for the game high with three each.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and scored another run in the third. L.A. then blew the game wide open in the sixth inning. It began with a Joc Pederson RBI double and included a two-run single from A.J. Ellis, then a run-scoring base hit by Utley and Corey Seager sacrifice fly.
With the Dodgers leading 12-0 in the eighth inning, Yasiel Puig electrified the Dodgers fans in attendance by hitting an RBI triple. Puig also scored on the play due to a throwing error.
While Roberts has regularly voiced his appreciation for the Padres organization, the victory and his sustained success against them provides some sort of vindication. The Padres didn’t interview Roberts, their former bench coach, for the managerial position after the 2015 season.
Roberts not concerned with Padres
The Padres made significant strides to further improve their roster during the past offseason, though it was not of any concern to Roberts as he is confident in the Dodgers’ ability to match up with any team.
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