Clayton Kershaw will start for Dodgers on Opening Day

As if it comes as any surprise.

On Sunday evening, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Clayton Kershaw will be making the start for the team on Opening Day in Colorado.

“I think that we all talked collectively,” Roberts said. “There’s no wrong decision. I just feel that he’s earned it. He’s the right guy for the spot in 2021. For every reason, it makes sense.”

For Kershaw, this will be the ninth time in his big-league career he’ll be the Opening Day starter for the Dodgers. It should have been the 10th, but he was a last-minute scratch last season with an injury. Dustin May made the start.

Through his career on Opening Day, Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA, allowing seven total runs in eight starts, with 59 strikeouts in 51⅔ innings.

There was speculation as to whether or not the honor would go to someone else, as some believed it would be a bigger honor for him to start the Dodgers’ home opener, when they receive their championship rings. Ultimately, Roberts and Kershaw decided to let him start the first game of the season.

“We all talked and we felt [starting Opening Day] was the right thing,” Roberts said. “We talked about the home opener, but the decision was he’d start Opening Day.”

When asked if Kershaw being able to be part of the ring ceremony and championship celebration played a part in the decision, Roberts said that it did. As of right now, he won’t release the rest of the rotation yet as they’re still working on figuring it out.