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Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Names Clayton Kershaw 2020 Opening Day Starter

Matthew Moreno
4 Min Read
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

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:

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

SeasonOpponentResultInnings PitchedHitsEarned RunsStrikeouts
2011vs. GiantsWin7.0409
2012@ PadresNo Decision3.0203
2013vs. GiantsWin9.0407
2014vs. Diamondbacks (Australia)Win6.2517
2015vs. PadresNo Decision6.0639
2016@ PadresWin7.0109
2017vs. PadresWin7.0218
2018vs. GiantsLoss6.0817
2021@ RockiesLoss5.21052

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com