Today could have been a huge day in Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB history.
Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ ace, completely stymied the Minnesota Twins lineup on Wednesday afternoon, tossing seven perfect innings with 13 strikeouts.
Kershaw’s four-seam fastball averaged 92 mph, and his trademark curveball and slider were on point.
He was at 80 pitches at the time of finishing the seventh frame, so manager Dave Roberts took him out of the game and sent Alex Vesia to the mound to start the eighth.
Vesia retired a hitter, but allowed the first Twins baserunner of the afternoon, in the form of a Gary Sanchez single.
The bid for perfection was over before things got really interesting.
The Pitcher Himself Backed His Manager
Roberts was getting roasted in social media for taking Kershaw out, but it turns out that he has the support of his pitcher.
“#Dodgers Clayton Kershaw says it was ‘the right decision’ to pull him after 80 pitches. ‘Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months (during the offseason)’,” Bill Plunkett, who covers the Dodgers, tweeted today.
#Dodgers Clayton Kershaw says it was “the right decision” to pull him after 80 pitches. “Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months (during the offseason)”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 13, 2022
Sometimes, a player who disagrees with his own manager’s decision will, out of respect, say the right things in front of the press.
This time, however, Kershaw seems sincere.
He knows his body like no other, so asking it to throw more than 100 pitches in his first start of the season was probably too much, especially considering he missed last year’s postseason while nursing a forearm injury.
It hurt, as fans, to see his chance of making history slipping away, but in the end, the Dodgers’ organization want him in one piece for what looks like a highly competitive season.
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