Diamondbacks' Bradley outduels Kershaw in MLB debut

Archie Bradley arrived at Chase Field on Saturday evening with an unenviable task and left with a story to tell his grandchildren.

Bradley, the 22-year-old right-hander who landed a spot in the Arizona Diamondbacks' rotation this spring, made his MLB debut Saturday night against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw, of course, is widely viewed as the best pitcher on the planet - his trophy case jammed with three Cy Young awards and the 2014 National League MVP.

On Saturday, though, Bradley was better.

Before a vocal contingent of friends and family, Bradley tossed six sterling innings against the reigning division champions, allowing only one hit (albeit with four walks) while notching six strikeouts to lift his club to a 6-0 victory in his first big-league outing.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Bradley's masterful performance earned him a game score of 72, tying him with Geraldo Guzman for the franchise record by a pitcher in his MLB debut. Bradley, the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft, also recorded his first career hit with a single to left field in the second inning.

Kershaw, meanwhile, stumbled in his second outing of the season, yielding six runs - five earned - on 10 hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings en route to his first loss of the campaign.