For those wondering how the shortened spring training would affect starting pitchers in the early part of the season, we got a clear answer on Wednesday.
Clayton Kershaw retired the first 21 batters he faced, putting himself two innings away from a perfect game in Minnesota.
Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts didn’t let him go back out for the eighth inning.
Kershaw had thrown 80 pitches across his seven perfect innings, striking out 13 Twins in a performance that looked every part like vintage Clayton Kershaw, a man who was capable of perfection every time he stepped on the mound.
We’ll never find out if Kershaw, who threw a no-hitter in his 2014 Cy Young season, could have actually been perfect on Wednesday afternoon. Alex Vesia replaced him for the bottom of the eighth and retired his first man before Gary Sanchez knocked a first-pitch single to break up what could have been the first combined perfect game in MLB history.
Kershaw, who is 34 years old and has basically accomplished everything a pitcher can do apart from throwing a perfect game, appeared to be at peace with the decision. When he exited the visitors’ dugout in Minnesota to retreat back to the clubhouse after being pulled, he did so with a smile on his face.
Roberts has a history of pulling pitchers who are throwing a no-hitter. When Ross Stripling made his MLB debut in 2016, he logged 7.1 no-hit frames before Roberts pulled the plug at 100 pitches. Later in 2016, Rich Hill spun seven perfect innings, but just like Kershaw, was lifted for a reliever without getting a chance to go back out for the eighth. In 2018, the Dodgers’ bullpen completed a no-no after Roberts yanked Walker Buehler after six innings.
While the fans on hand for a chilly afternoon baseball game at Target Field on Wednesday didn’t get to see a perfect game, they’ll be able to say they were in attendance for the first major managerial controversy of the 2022 season.
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