Clayton Kershaw Ties Dodgers Record for Most Opening Day Wins

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw allowed just one run over seven innings in Monday's 14-3 Opening Day victory over the San Diego Padres, notching eight strikeouts while allowing just two hits and no walks. He also scored twice to support himself.

The win tied Kershaw with Don Drysdale for the most Opening Day victories in team history, per Sportsnet Stats. He now owns a 5-0 record with a 0.99 ERA on Opening Day in his career.

Considered one of—if not the best—pitchers in baseball, the southpaw earned NL MVP honors in 2015. In that season, he totaled league-best marks for starting pitchers in ERA (1.77), WHIP (0.857), wins (21), complete games (six) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.8). He also owns three National League Cy Young awards, a Gold Glove (2011), a Triple Crown (2013) and has been named to each of the last six All-Star games, per Baseball Reference.

While Kershaw consistently posts dominant numbers annually during the regular season, the playoffs are a different animal. The 29-year-old has 14 career starts and 18 appearances in the playoffs but owns just a 4-7 mark with a 4.55 ERA over those tilts.

Los Angeles has now won the NL West each of the last four seasons, but the franchise has yet to represent the league in the World Series. The Dodgers held a 2-1 advantage over the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS last season but dropped three straight to lose the series.

Many pitchers—such as the rival San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner—have their legacies built in the postseason. Perhaps Kershaw will finally begin constructing his in 2017 after multiple failed attempts in past campaigns. For now, he'll settle for being the most dominant active starting pitcher in the majors.