Clayton Kershaw produced a pitching masterclass as the Los Angeles Dodgers launched their latest quest for a long-awaited World Series crown with a record 15-0 drubbing of the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Kershaw pitched seven innings of one-hit ball as the Dodgers scored the biggest opening day shutout win in baseball history.
It was the heaviest opening defeat in the Padres’ 48-season history and a dream debut for the Dodgers new manager Dave Roberts. The defeat represented a nightmare start for new Padres manager Andy Green however.
“No one wants to come out and lay an egg on Opening Day and get beat 15-0,” Green remarked glumly after the loss. The victory maintained Kershaw’s recent stranglehold over San Diego. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has not lost to the Padres since June 2013, winning in five of his past seven outings at Petco Park. Kershaw was touched for a clean two-out single by John Jay in the third inning and ultimately struck out nine, walked one and retired the final 13 batters he faced.
“We just kept adding on and adding on,” Kershaw said. “For me, it was just trying to have quick innings.”
Green admitted Kershaw had asked questions of his team that they were unable to answer. “He threw a very good game and once he got his momentum, he was difficult to handle,” Green said. The Dodgers eased into a 3-0 lead after three innings. They piled on the agony for San Diego with a five-run sixth.
“I made a lot of mistakes and got the ball up over the plate,” Padres pitcher Tyson Ross said. “This is on me. I didn’t execute my pitches. I’ve got to get back to being a ground-ball machine. It wasn’t a good result. “But in the grand scheme of things, it’s one loss in 162 games. It was a lopsided score and all that but the big thing is with what happened today, is it’s just a loss.”
The Dodgers, who have not won the World Series since 1988, have the highest payroll in Major League Baseball this season as they aim to end their long wait for a title.
Elsewhere
Giants 12, Brewers 3: Denard Span drove five runs, Matt Duffy sent in four and the Giants clubbed four home runs, opening the 2016 season with a rout at Miller Park. San Francisco had 15 hits against four Milwaukee pitchers and broke the game wide open in the eighth, scoring five runs on three consecutive home runs—by Joe Panik, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence.
Reds 6, Phillies 2: Joey Votto’s two-run single with the bases loaded highlighted a five-run eighth inning on Opening Day before 43,683 fans, the largest regular-season crowd in the history of Great American Ball Park. Shortstop Zack Cozart went 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI to become the first Reds player with three hits on Opening Day since Barry Larkin in 2001.
Nationals 4, Braves 3 (10 innings): Daniel Murphy hit a home run and added an RBI double in the top of the 10th inning to give Dusty Baker a victory in his debut as Nationals manager. The Braves tied the score with a run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Nationals won on an unearned run in the 10th after second baseman Gordon Beckham threw away a grounder hit by Ryan Zimmerman with one out. Murphy knocked him in with his double and Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect 10th inning to record the save.
Orioles 3, Twins 2: Matt Wieters lined a single to center with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that scored Chris Davis with the winning run.
Davis began the game-winning rally with a two-out walk off of right-hander Kevin Jepsen (0-1). Mark Trumbo followed with his fourth hit of the game, a single to centre, which moved Davis to third. Wieters then lined his single to centre on the first pitch.
Indians-Red Sox postponed
The Cleveland Indians game against the Boston Red Sox was postponed due to a forecast of precipitation and wind chills in the teens. The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 1:10pm. The New York Yankees game against the Houston Astros was postponed because of rain and wintry weather. The game was rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
RESULTS
San Francisco 12 Milwaukee 3
Baltimore 3 Minnesota 2
Texas 3 Seattle 2
Cincinnati 6 Philadelphia 2
Washington 4 Atlanta 3(10 innings)
LA Dodgers 15 San Diego 0
Toronto 5 Tampa Bay 3
Colorado 10 Arizona 5
Chicago Cubs 9 LA Angels 0
Chicago White Sox 4 Oakland 3