SYDNEY — After taking its opener to Mexico, Japan and Puerto Rico over the past 15 years, Major League Baseball is expanding to a new territory this weekend: Down Under.
When Arizona’s Wade Miley throws the first pitch of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the teams will be nearly 7,800 miles from Chase Field in Phoenix.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday by cuddling a kangaroo.
“It’s been a good experience for us and, hopefully, we can get a couple of wins and make it a great one,” Kershaw said. “Opening day is always fun, no matter what continent it’s on.”
The games will be played at a revamped cricket field that seats 40,000-plus.
Some things will be familiar: Vin Scully will be in the Dodgers’ broadcast booth for the start of his 65th season, a run that dates to the team’s time in Brooklyn.
Baseball began its season at Monterrey, Mexico, in 1999; at Tokyo in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012; and at San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2001. This series marks the 100th anniversary of an exhibition game between the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox at the same venue on Jan. 3, 1914.
The Cricket Ground, opened in 1882, has been transformed into a baseball field over a few weeks. The right- and left-field foul poles are each 328 feet from home plate and straightaway center field is 400 feet away. From all reports, balls have been carrying.
The Dodgers defeated Australia’s national team 4-2 Thursday night in an exhibition that drew just 14,385. Yasiel Puig, batting .122 (5 for 41) coming in, hit a two-run homer in the eighth, two innings after throwing out Mike Walker at the plate from right field.
On Friday, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he expected Adrian Gonzalez to play in the opener despite the first baseman tweaking his back in the exhibition game and coming out in the fourth inning. “I’ve seen no red flags to suggest otherwise,” Mattingly said.
He also announced his starting lineup for Saturday, with Puig leading off, followed by Justin Turner, Hanley Ramirez, Gonzalez, Scott Van Slyke, Juan Uribe, Andre Ethier, catcher A.J. Ellis and Kershaw.
“I’m serious,” Mattingly said when asked about Puig batting first. “We’ll see where we go. It’s all about the guys we have, the mixture. That dictates the order.”
Miley will be pitching in place of Patrick Corbin, who has a partially torn ligament in his left elbow that may require season-ending surgery.
Kershaw, the 2011 and 2013 NL Cy Young Award winner, will be making his first start since signing a $215 million, seven-year contract, the largest deal ever for a pitcher.
“I don’t take for granted the contract,” Kershaw said Thursday. “It’s a really amazing thing that the Dodgers think enough of me to give me something like that. I understand the responsibilities that come with that. As long as you win, everything takes care of itself.”
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks play each other nearly 20 times a season in the NL West, and Mattingly said this week that any teams would develop a healthy rivalry in such a situation.
Last June, a brawl between the teams resulted in the suspensions of eight players. And when the Dodgers clinched the West title in Phoenix, a decision by some of their players to jump in the Chase Field swimming pool angered some Diamondbacks.
“I don’t know what their sentiment is, but for us, it’s just a new season,” Kershaw said. “We’re just going to play a game, not wonder what could or would happen. We’ve had our scuffles in the past and it should all be in the past.
“Obviously their big name guys — Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Hill, Martin Prado — some of these guys they have over there — they play the game the right way. I enjoy watching them play. It’s tough to beat them.”