On March 22, 2014, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers met at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia for Opening Day. The March 22 matchup marked the earliest start to a season in MLB history at the time.
In order to begin the season internationally, both the Dodgers and Diamondbacks played an abbreviated Spring Training as they required ample time to travel to Australia.
Clayton Kershaw and Wade Miley dueled in the the first of a two-game Opening Series. The start of the first-ever MLB game played in Australia was delayed by 14 minutes due to rain, but once it passed, Kershaw flashed his usual Cy Young form.
In what was his fourth consecutive start on Opening Day, the left-hander allowed just one run in 6.2 innings. Kershaw finished with seven strikeouts against just one walk, and was lifted after throwing his 102nd pitch.
Chris Perez, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen combined for 2.1 shutout innings to wrap up the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory.
L.A. got on the board in the second inning behind an Adrian Gonzalez leadoff walk and Scott Van Slyke double. Andre Ethier’s RBI groundout broke the scoreless tie.
Then in the fourth, Van Slyke added to his night with a two-run home run. After starting the season with a win, the Dodgers picked up a victory the following day and returned stateside undefeated.
There was some downside, however, as Kershaw was unable to start in the domestic season opener against the San Diego Padres because of a back injury that forced him to the disabled list for the first time in his career.
The Dodgers nonetheless managed to remain afloat without their ace and went on to claim a second consecutive National League West title. However, they were eliminated in four games by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series.
Dodgers part of MLB’s earliest start dates
A new early start for the MLB season was set last year with Dodgers playing in the Seoul Series for an Opening Day date of March 20. Then in 2025, the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs played in the Tokyo Series, which began March 18.
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