5 W’s — From What to Why: Kershaw hurls a gem in first meeting against Greinke
Daily article discussing one of the most important events from the previous day of baseball. The 5 W’s will be discussed, concluding with the why — as in why it is important.
What?
Billed as “The most expensive starting pitching matchup of all-time”, Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks faced off against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Who?
At $35.5 million and $34 million, respectively, Kershaw and Greinke are MLB’s two highest-paid players. Kershaw signed an extension with the Dodgers in 2014, while Greinke was the Diamondbacks’ prized acquisition last offseason.
When?
Friday, April 14, 2017
Where?
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Why?
In the first matchup between former Cy Young winners who were also teammates since Tom Glavine and John Smoltz squared off in 2007, it was Kershaw who looked more like his usual Cy Young-contender self than Greinke.
The Dodger left-hander retired the first ten Diamondbacks he saw, doing such with relative ease.
Greinke, meanwhile, struggled right out of the gate. After striking out Andrew Toles, Corey Seager drew a walk, and Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez both flew out to the warning track. Greinke’s second inning saw him load the bases and throw 26 pitches before getting Kershaw to ground into a double play to keep the game scoreless. The Dodgers finally broke through in the third inning, as four straight singles gave Los Angeles a 2–0 lead.
The Dodgers would tack on two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Greinke was pinch hit for to lead off the sixth, finishing the night with five innings pitched, ten hits surrendered, five runs, three walks, and four strikeouts. Perhaps most alarmingly, Greinke threw 107 pitches.
Kershaw, however, kept rolling right along. After retiring 10 in a row to open the game, he retired 10 more in a row after walking Goldschmidt in the fourth. Nick Ahmed singled in the eighth inning and was promptly doubled off.
While it looked like Kershaw would finish the night with a complete game shutout, the Diamondbacks hit a single and double off him in the ninth inning to score their first run of the night. After eight-and-a-third innings, Kershaw’s night was over.
In typical Kershaw fashion, he was excellent, allowing four hits and striking out eight while walking just one. The Dodgers picked up a 7–1 victory.
