Clayton Kershaw is a future Hall of Famer and has been the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers since emerging as a star in the early 2010’s. He has made the majority of Opening Day starts since then as well, and the only time he did not start Opening Day was due to injury. But Kershaw is healthy entering the 2022 campaign, and still will not make the start to open the season. Instead, that honor belongs to Walker Buehler.
Buehler has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past couple of seasons for the Dodgers. In 2021, the right-hander delivered a Cy Young caliber performance with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts. He earned Cy Young consideration despite not winning the award. Kershaw was solid as well, as the veteran pitched to the tune of a 3.55 ERA. However, he was limited to just 22 games because of injuries.
Kershaw recently shared his honest opinion about the Dodgers naming Buehler as the Opening Day starter.
“He deserves it. You pitch well the season before, you deserve it. He's done that a couple years now. … I'm proud of him. I think he's done a lot of great things taking the ball every 5th day the way he has kind of been the guy for us. It's been fun to watch. I think more than anything we just trust him on the mound. That's big. I think when your team has trust in you, it's a good feeling. We're excited to have him out there.”
Kershaw has already accomplished so many things in his career that he has no reason to act petty over this decision. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and one-time MVP winner seems genuinely happy for Buehler, who is establishing himself as a true superstar.
With Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw leading the way the Dodgers pitching rotation is in good hands.
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