Clayton Kershaw had himself a game on Monday.
The Dodgers ace not only shut down the Giants to the tune of a complete-game, four-hit shutout on Opening Day, he also helped himself out at the plate. With the score tied at 0-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Kershaw sent the first pitch he saw over the center field fence for the first home run of his six-year career.
The homer — the first by a pitcher on Opening Day since 1988 — made Kershaw the first pitcher ever to toss a shutout and hit a home run in the first game of the season, according to Baseball Tonight.
If Kershaw opens next season on the mound for the Dodgers, his opponents might want to consider taking the day off. Over his last three Opening Day starts, the left-hander’s stat line reads like this: 19 innings, 10 hits, zero runs, two walks, 19 strikeouts.
Check out Kershaw’s blast in the video below.
