5. April 1, 2013 – Kershaw tosses shutout, homers
When Clayton Kershaw takes the mound today for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he will set a franchise record with his eighth Opening Day start. None was as great as this one.
The game may have been played on April Fools, but Kershaw was all business, leaving the hitters looking like fools all day as he went inning for inning with his Giants counterpart Matt Cain. Holding onto a 0-0 tie, Cain was pulled after the 6th inning, allowing no runs, 4 hits, a walk, and struck out 8 Dodger hitters., including Kershaw twice.
However, when that reliever came into the game, it opened a door for Kershaw’s heroics. George Kontos had mowed through Dodger hitters in the 7th inning, retiring the side in order. Kershaw led off the bottom of the 8th inning, and he took the first pitch he saw from Kontos and hit it to deep center field and out for a home run.
The Dodgers would score 3 more runs on the inning, but Kershaw had just given himself the only run support he would need. He polished off the Giants on 9 pitches in the top of the 9th to secure an Opening Day complete game shutout, allowing 4 hits and not walking a single hitter, striking out 7.
Next: History on the bench