Dein erstes Forum » Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have

SYDNEY, Australia -- Opening day turned out to be a pretty gday for the Los Angeles Dodgers and ace Clayton Kershaw. Doug Brocail Jersey . Kershaw flashed his Cy Young form, Scott Van Slyke homered and the NL West champions opened the Major League Baseball season with a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night at Sydney Cricket Ground. A crowd of about 40,000 watched as MLB played its first regular-season game in Australia. Kershaw, who signed a seven-year, US$215 million contract in January, allowed one run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. Van Slyke hit a two-run homer and also doubled. The first pitch was delayed because of rain for 14 minutes. By then, the long trip Down Under had taken even longer for some Arizona players. A team bus had a flat tire, and the Diamondbacks said "a handful" of players decided to walk the last half-mile to the stadium instead of waiting for a replacement bus. Kershaw was impressive while making his fourth consecutive opening-day start. He struck out seven, walked one and was pulled by manager Don Mattingly after throwing his 102nd pitch. Quite a turnaround from spring training, when the two-time NL Cy Young winner went 0-3 with a 9.20 ERA in four starts. "Sometimes you just need the adrenaline of a regular-season game, and I just kind of feel relieved to get this one under my belt," he said. "Its always good to get results, obviously," he said. "This one counted." In his previous opening-day starts, Kershaw was 2-0 with 19 strikeouts in 19 scoreless innings. "Kershaw did a good job keeping us in the middle of the diamond," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "He threw a good ball game against us. We know theyre always going to be close." Three relievers kept the Diamondbacks scoreless with hitless work. Chris Perez, a five-time all-star with Cleveland before joining the Dodgers in the off-season, got the last out in the seventh. Brian Wilson pitched the eighth and closer Kenley Jansen got the save. Jansen walked a batter before getting Gerardo Parra to ground out to end the game. "Clayton was really good, kind of as always ... kind of doing his thing," Mattingly said. "Hes a tough guy to take out of the game, he always wants to stay in. And I thought our bullpen was really good tonight. Chris comes in and gets a big out for us there and Wilson did a good job and Jansen in closing the door." There were plenty of Dodgers and Diamondbacks uniforms in the crowd, some worn by American visitors and others by Australians who had flown across the country to watch the opener and Sundays second game, when another capacity crowd was expected. They feasted on baseball-style treats like nachos stuffed in batting helmets and Cracker Jack, which is not usually sold in Australia. If you could afford the cost and the calories, a two-foot-long hot dog sold for $36. Kershaw ran like hed eaten one of those hot dogs when he tried to stretch a one-out single in the seventh into a double, but was easily thrown out at second by left fielder Mark Trumbo. "My baserunning needs some work," Kershaw said, laughing. "I almost stopped at first base and then went to second, and that hesitation probably killed me. Im not that fast, so I need all the help I can get. Fortunately, it didnt hurt us very much." Van Slyke, playing because of an injury to Matt Kemp and paternity leave to Carl Crawford, nearly cleared the left-field fence in the second inning. His double set up a grounder by Andre Ethier that scored Adrian Gonzalez with the Dodgers first run. In his next at-bat in the fourth, Van Slyke connected off losing pitcher Wade Miley for a drive over the right-field fence -- just inside the foul pole -- with Gonzalez again on base to put the Dodgers up 3-0. "I thought that it was either going to be a foul or caught," Van Slyke said. "I didnt think it had a chance to go out. I felt more relaxed and had a little more energy and focus than I did in the exhibition games." Sydney Cricket Ground was refurbished two weeks ago to create the baseball diamond and an outfield with an 8-foot wall. It was 328 feet down the foul lines and 400 feet to straightaway centre. Miley, who came out for a pinch hitter in the fifth, got the opening day assignment because of a left elbow injury to Diamondbacks ace Patrick Corbin. Miley gave up three runs and three hits, striking out eight with two walks. Both teams finished with five hits. The Diamondbacks scored in the sixth after a double by Paul Goldschmidt, who had two hits. He moved to third on Kershaws wild pitch and scored on Trumbos infield out. The Diamondbacks were shut out 5-0 in an exhibition game Friday by Team Australia when they stranded 11 runners. A series of thunderstorms but little rain around the stadium about two hours ahead of the start cut short the Dodgers batting practice and tarp was rolled on to the field. That caused the start of the game to be delayed and cancelled the pre-game ceremonies. NOTES: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez gingerly walked off the field early in the game and may have tweaked a troublesome hamstring. He stayed in the game. ... LA leadoff man Yasiel Puig was hitless in five at-bats, including three strikeouts. ... On Sunday, South Korean lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, moved up in the Dodgers rotation because Zack Greinke injury his right calf, faces the Diamondbacks Trevor Cahill in the afternoon finale. ... The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Sydney Swans Aussie rules football star Adam Goodes, picked as Australian of the year this season. It was a very off-speed strike. ... Arizonas Aaron Hill had an infield single for the first hit of the season. Brad Ausmus Jersey . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. Virgil Trucks Jersey . -- Kenneth Faried made a turnaround hook shot over Draymond Green with a half-second remaining, and the Denver Nuggets made Golden State wait at least one more game to secure a playoff berth with a stunning 100-99 win over the Warriors on Thursday night. https://www.cheaptigers.com/539z-ty-cobb-jersey-tigers.html . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves.NEW YORK -- The trade that put Jeff Samardzija on a post-season contender cost him a chance to pitch in his first All-Star game. A day after Samardzija was dealt from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland, a big league-high six Athletics were picked Sunday for the game at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. That doesnt include Samardzija, selected as a National League All-Star. Major League Baseball said he is ineligible to play because of the league switch. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the Cubs, won his American League debut Sunday when he allowed one run in seven innings for a 4-2 victory over Toronto. He will be introduced with the NL players before the All-Star game; still to be decided is whether he wears a Cubs or As uniform -- or a generic NL jersey. "I wont get to pitch, which is a bummer, but thats all right," Samardzija said. "Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting." Oakland, with the best record in the majors, has its most All-Stars since 1975: left-handers Sean Doolittle and Scott Kazmir; catcher Derek Norris; first baseman Brandon Moss; third baseman Josh Donaldson; and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "Its really cool," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We were hoping for something like this." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, playing his 20th and final season, was chosen for his 14th All-Star team and will start for the ninth time. He gets reunited with Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano, his former double-play partner in New York. Mariano Rivera, the retiring Yankees reliever, was the centre of attention at last years All-Star game when the Mets hosted in Citi Field. Jeter could be in the spotlight this year. "All-Star game was in New York last year. Its a little bit different," Jeter said. "I dont go into it with any expectations. Just trying to enjoy myself and have fun with whoever is here." Among the big names bypassed entirely were slugger David Ortiz and closer Koji Uehara from World Series champion Boston, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, and Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett. "I had a chance to talk with David, and he felt the four days of rest might be more advantageous to him," said Boston skipper John Farrell, the AL manager. "He was a pro about it. He spoke his mind and had a lot of input in the decisions." Also elected by fans to start for the AL were Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Donaldson, and outfielders Jose Bautista of Toronto, Adam Jones of Baltimore and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimores Matt Wieters, sidelined by season-ending elbow surgery on June 17, was elected to start at catcher and willl be replaced by Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Hank Greenberg Jersey. Orioles bopper Nelson Cruz, tied for the major league home run lead with 27, was voted in by fans at designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseballs drug agreement. The big year could lead to a large contract for Cruz, who left Texas for an $8 million, one-year deal with Baltimore. "Its always a blessing when you make the All-Star game," Cruz said. "Im happy because I know I made the right decision." Elected to the NL starting lineup were Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina along with outfielders Carlos Gomez of Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, a pair of rookies off to superlative starts, were among 26 first-time All-Stars and 24 foreign-born players. Tanaka and setup man Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie pitchers to be picked as All-Stars since Spec Shea in 1947. Surprise selections included Pittsburgh utilityman Josh Harrison and left-hander Tony Watson, and St. Louis reliever Pat Neshek, who is from Minnesota and began his career with the hometown Twins. "I shook head my head for a while. I couldnt believe it," Neshek said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Its awesome to be rewarded like that and to get the chance to play against the best." Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez made his fifth All-Star team, his first since 2009. Bautista, at 5.68 million, received the most votes for the second time in four years. Tulowitzki topped the NL at 5.35 million. Other players omitted despite strong credentials were Cincinnati pitcher Alfredo Simon, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and San Diego closer Huston Street, who had converted 23 consecutive save chances before allowing a tying home run in the ninth Saturday. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, who like Cruz served lengthy drug-related suspensions, also were left out. The candidates in online voting for the final AL spot are all pitchers: Houstons Dallas Keuchel, Clevelands Corey Kluber, Los Angeles Garrett Richards, Detroits Rick Porcello and Chicagos Chris Sale. Vying for the NL spot are Miami third baseman Casey McGehee, Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. ------ AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen and AP freelance writers Mike Cranston, Brian Hall, Michael Wagaman and Jeff Melnick contributed to this report. ' ' '