What should come as a surprise to no one and, in fact, should put a smile on the face of every Dodger fan on the planet, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has named soon-to-be (on March 19) 33-year-old future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw as his team’s Opening Day starter on April 1, 2021, against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver. It will be Kershaw’s ninth Opening Day start. (Hall of Fame right-hander Tom Seaver has the most in MLB history at 16).

“We all talked collectively. There’s really no wrong decision. I just feel that he’s earned it,” Roberts told reporters during his pregame Zoom media scrum on Sunday afternoon. “He’s the right guy for the spot for 2021. For every reason, I just think it makes the most sense.”

Roberts acknowledged that he had a conversation with the three-time Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star, five-time ERA Title winner, former NL MVP, former Triple Crown winner, former Major League Player of the Year, former Gold Glove winner and World Series Champion about starting the Home Opener on April 9 against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium instead, when players and coaches will receive their World Series rings. But by starting on Opening Day on April 1, Kershaw would not be lined up to also start the Home Opener on April 9.

There is one caveat to all of this … the weather. As baseball fans everywhere know, Denver is (very) prone to snow; especially in April. In fact, getting the four-game 2021 Opening Series in without snow – or at the very least, rain – is asking a lot. Then again, if one (or more) of those four games is postponed due to inclement weather, it very well could line the crafty left-hander up to also make that Home Opener start, so there’s that.

To be brutally honest, Roberts naming anyone other than Kershaw to open the season would have just been wrong; something that he – and every Dodger fan – absolutely positively knew.

Play Ball!

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