Clayton Kershaw Named Opening Day Starter Again

You can file this news under obvious. Cactus League play has yet to begin, but Don Mattingly didn’t hesitate to announce that Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw will be his Opening Day starter against San Diego on April 6th at Dodger Stadium. This will be Kershaw’s fifth consecutive Opening Day start. Don Sutton made seven consecutive Opening Day starts for the Dodgers in the 1970s.

“Any connection with those names is pretty cool,” said Kershaw, who will face the Padres in the opener at home. “I was preparing for it, but obviously it’s a huge honor. Now I have a goal and an end date — April 6.”

The Dodgers are 4-0 when Clayton Kershaw starts on Opening Day. Opening Days have been pretty historic and often times dramatic for Kershaw in the past.

March 31, 2011: Kershaw beat the Giants in a 1-0 win at Dodger Stadium. Kersh pitched 7 innings, struck out 9, and only allowed 4 hits.

April 5, 2012: Kershaw was sick and only last three innings in San Diego. He pitched through it like the competitor that he is. He struck out 3 in the 5-3 Dodger win.

April 1, 2013: Kershaw hit a unforgettable homerun against the Giants on Opening Day. I had the honor of watching Clayton hit that beautiful eighth inning homer from the stands. The Dodgers defeated their rivals 4-0. Kershaw pitched a complete game shutout, he struck out 7, and he only allowed 4 hits.

March 22, 2014: Last season the southpaw had the eyes of the world on him when he opened the MLB season in Sydney, Australia. The Dodgers beat the D-backs 3-1 thanks to Scott Van Slyke hitting the first homerun of the MLB season. Kersh pitched 6 2/3 innings and struck out 7 on 102 pitches.

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Opening Day against the Padres should be very interesting. San Diego has revamped their roster much like the Dodgers have this offseason, and they have bolstered their outfield which now includes former Dodger franchise player Matt Kemp. Tim Federowicz and Scott Elbert also are now with San Diego as well. Elbert will be with the Padres during Spring Training as a non-roster invite.

How do you predict the first at bat between Kershaw and Kemp to go? Let me know in the comments.

Clayton and his wife Ellen had an eventful offseason. They welcomed their first child, Cali Ann Kershaw, in January.

Clayton Kershaw will start on Thursday for the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. It will be the Dodgers’ second Spring Training game, and they will take on the White Sox at 12:05 pm PST.