Opening the MLB season about a week and a half before any other two teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers took on one another at the historic Sidney Cricket Ground early Saturday morning east coast time. It was the first regular season game played on the continent of Australia in MLB history.
Reigning NL CY Young winner Clayton Kershaw tossed 6.2 innings of dominating baseball, giving up one run and five hits while striking out seven. Scott Van Slyke hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley, a knock that represented the first home-run of the MLB season. The veteran backup would finish the day reaching base in three of his four plate appearances.
Andre Ethier added an RBI with a single in the first inning.
USA Today Stock
Arizona was held in check by a combination of Chris Perez, Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen after Kershaw pitched into the seventh. They combined to strikeout three with zero hits in 2.1 innings of work. Jansen notched the first save of the MLB campaign.
Miley didn’t pitch too bad. He went five innings, striking out eight in the process. He did walk two and give up three hits in those five innings of work. Arizona’s bullpen shut down the Dodgers without a run in four innings, giving its offense an opportunity to come back.
It was, however, Kershaw and Co. who stole the show in a game that was initially delayed due to rain.
Arizona and Los Angeles will be back at it at 10 PM ET tonight in the final of the two game series from Sidney. Hyun-Jin Ryu will take the mound for the Dodgers, while Trevor Cahill will start for the Diamondbacks.
In an interesting scheduling situation, it will be back to Spring Training baseball for these two teams after the game tonight. Arizona will take on the Chicago Cubs Wednesday, while the Dodgers will battle with the Angels in L.A. on Thursday.
38,266 were on hand in Australia to see the first game.
Photo: Lance Iverson, USA Today