Kershaw clearly was the most talented Dodgers pitcher entering last season, but then-manager Joe Torre didn’t hand him the ball on opening day. He wanted to minimize the pressure on his young lefthander.
But Kershaw posted a 2.91 ERA, 212 strikeouts and 132 ERA+ while eclipsing 30 starts and the 200-inning mark, both benchmarks for an ace.
This year, there was no doubt who would get the ball on opening day against the hated rival and defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants and their ace, Tim Lincecum. And Kershaw, 23, was marvelous, spinning seven shutout innings and striking out nine with one walk for the win.
Now of course there is David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. So far no wins but rather difficult to gain a win when the offense have left their bats on the bus. But I have a feeling that when the smoke clears he will be near the top.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment