When Major League Baseball initially cancelled remaining Spring Training games and pushed Opening Day back to April 9, several players intended to remain in camp and continue working out during the two-week delay.
But as MLB continued to take guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and infectious diseases experts, the league subsequently began paring down what was permitted at Spring Training facilities before putting a freeze on any type of gatherings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers gave their players the option to remain in Arizona, head to Southern California, or return to their offseason homes. More recently, the Dodgers closed Camelback Ranch at least into the first week of April.
Much like Ross Stripling returning to Houston, Clayton Kershaw and his family opted to head to their home in Dallas for the time being.
The Kershaws were featured as the subject of a series of videos the Dodgers shared on social media. One of the clips gave an inside look at Kershaw’s home gym, where his wife Ellen found the three-time Cy Young Award taking a break to play Pop-A-Shot and challenge Joc Pederson.
Kersh gets buckets. @yungjoc650, you’re up. pic.twitter.com/o1R6LPBZy1
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 25, 2020
While impressive to the average viewer, Pederson was hardly moved by Kershaw’s smooth shooting.
Joc Pederson was not impressed with Clayton Kershaw's Pop-A-Shot game. pic.twitter.com/1rgso6EVWF
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) March 26, 2020
With no 2020 Opening Day game to play Thursday, MLB Network, MLB’s social media accounts and the Dodgers are replaying contests from prior years to help fans fill the void.
Beginning at 1 p.m. PT, MLB Network is re-airing the Dodgers’ 2013 Opening Day game, when Kershaw hit a home run and turned in a complete-game shutout against the San Francisco Giants.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are streaming the 2019 Opening Day contest that saw the club hit an MLB record eight home runs off Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks. SportsNet LA is also doing a re-air of their broadcast.
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