(Minneapolis) Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw went perfect seven innings in his season opener, dominating the Minnesota Twins with 13 strikeouts on 21 batters in a 7-0 win.
Posted at 3:57 p.m.
Manager Dave Roberts retired Kershaw after 80 pitches in cool weather at Target Field. Alex Vesia replaced him on the mound and allowed the Twins’ first hit, Gary Sanchez.
Cody Bellinger, Gavin Lux and Austin Barnes hit back-to-back homers in the eighth against reliever Derek Rodriguez.
Justin Turner hit a two-run single in the first, Trea Turner added a run on a sacrifice fly in the second off starter Chris Paddack, who pitched four innings, allowing six hits and three runs. Max Muncy hit a solo slap in the ninth.
At his 15e season in the Majors, all with the Dodgers, Kershaw notably struck out all three batters facing him in the sixth. He retired every Twins batter he faced on three strikes at least once, except Gio Urshela, who grounded to third and a fly ball to the right.
Urshela then hit a solid ball in the middle of the infield, but second baseman Lux, posted on the right side of the base, joined the ball and put the runner out at first.
A three-time Cy-Young winner, Kershaw signed a new one-season, $17 million deal with the Dodgers this winter after missing more than two months in 2021 with left elbow inflammation. He was slotted in fifth in the rotation to give his arm more time to regain strength due to the lockout-shortened camp.
Kershaw pitched a game without a run or hit on June 18, 2014, against the Colorado Rockies. There have only been 23 perfect games in the entire history of baseball.
This is her 66e game of 10 or more strikeouts in 380 starts. The Twins are the 27e team he faces in his career. Only the Red Sox and the Angels are missing from his list.
