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April Fool’s Day Top Performers: Harper, Kershaw, Hernandez, Ware

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Here are your top performers from the entire world of sports from Monday, April 1st, 2013 (MLB Opening Day) …

Bryce Harper

Silencing the talks of a possible sophomore slump, at least for now, was Washington Nationals superstar outfielder Bryce Harper, who hit two home runs in his first two at bats of the season Monday afternoon.

Harper, who was overshadowed at times last year despite being an All-Star, by LA Angels star rookie Mike Trout, may be poised for a breakout season in 2013. Let’s not forget how hyped up Harper has been for years already, and for a good reason. He’s got a world of potential, which is apparent considering some were disappointed by his rookie season last year even though he had 57 XBH in just 139 games.

His two homers were all the Nationals pitching staff would need, as Stephen Strasburg, Tyler Clippard, and Rafael Soriano nailed down the shutout.

Harper giving the fans a curtain call. Credit: USA Today

Harper giving the fans a curtain call. Credit: USA Today

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Clayton Kershaw

Simply put, the LA Dodgers lefty ace Clayton Kershaw was dominant in his team’s 4-0 win over the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Kershaw, who has made over 30 starts and had a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the last 4 big league seasons, pitched a complete game shutout at Dodger Stadium to get his club, which has drawn a lot of attention for their aggressive offseason, out of the gates strong. He surrendered only 4 hits while striking out 7 in his 9 innings of work.

But it wasn’t just his performance on the mound that was so special … that’s right, he also did it at the plate, connecting for his first career home run (now has 264 career AB’s).

Kershaw really did it all for the Dodgers on Monday. Credit: ESPN

Kershaw really did it all for the Dodgers on Monday. Credit: ESPN

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Felix Hernandez

Moving just a bit north, we go to another dominant ace, the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez. “King Felix” did what we all know he can do any given night on Monday: dominate.

Specifically, he blanked the defending AL West Champion Oakland Athletics for 7.2 scoreless innings to help the M’s move to 1-0.

Back in February, Hernandez signed a monstrous 7-year, $175M contract extension to stay in Seattle for the foreseeable future, and so far it doesn’t look like the pressure of the big bucks are going to get to him. Felix, still only 26 years old, has put together solid season after solid season (some of which have been dominant) dating all the way back to his teenage years … and so far, it looks like Seattle made the right decision by locking him up until he’s about 33.

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Kevin Ware

Although we’re a couple days removed from Louisville’s Elite 8 win over the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils, we still feel their injured guard Kevin Ware deserves mention.

In case you missed it, Ware suffered a tragic injury on Sunday … frankly, it was about as bad as you’ll see on a basketball floor. He has received support from the entire nation through social media (#PrayForWare), and deservingly so.

He’s reportedly already on crutches after a successful surgery, which is great news considering the severity of the gruesome injury. His teammates brought the Midwest Regional Champs trophy to him in the hospital after their win, but all Ware can think about, even now, is his team winning a national championship next Monday.

Ware being carried off the court minutes after the horrific injury. Credit: CBS

Ware being carried off the court minutes after the horrific injury. Credit: CBS

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Honorable Mentions