"Jonathan Broxton sprinted from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound in the bottom of the ninth just like he's always done when called upon to close a game out for the Dodgers.

As usual, Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" played blared from the loudspeakers.

The setting was intense, the stakes high.

Opening Day.

The world champion San Francisco Giants in town.

A two-run lead and a chance to get the Dodgers off to a winning start.

Most important, a chance for Broxton to exorcise whatever personal demons lingered from last season.

Or maybe carry them right back into this season.

Everything else had unfolded perfectly to that point on a strikingly beautiful sun-splashed late afternoon at Chavez Ravine.

Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine while giving up just four hits.

The Dodgers took advantage of a couple of Giants errors in the sixth to plate a run on Tim Lincecum, no small feat coming against the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner.

Matt Kemp played a sound, conscientious, intelligent game, never trying to force things at the plate while working three walks and running the bases better than he ever has.

Kemp scored both Dodgers runs, his walk, stolen base and run scored in the ninth inning to put them up 2-0 as important as sequence in the game. "