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Three-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will make his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 4 in San Diego. New manager Dave Roberts announced the obvious choice Sunday morning before a spring training workout at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
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"That was a tough one," Roberts said with a straight face. "That was one of the harder managerial decisions I've had to make. After a lot of review and thoughts, we came to that conclusion."
The left-handed Kershaw, who is 3-0 in his previous five season-opening starts, also will start the Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.
Kershaw will be the first Dodgers pitcher to make six consecutive Opening Day starts since Don Sutton made seven -- the team record. Don Drysdale made seven Opening Day starts and Fernando Valenzuela had six but those were not in consecutive seasons.
Kershaw, who turns 28 on March 19, went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA and a league-leading 301 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings last season.
