Kershaw Goes Kerplunk

Normally, I wouldn’t cheer on someone else’s misery, but whenever this misery happens to plague the Los Angeles Dodgers, I will always relish in the moment and cheer on whoever is administering the ass-whoopin’.  Last night (10/07/23), the Arizona Diamondbacks smacked the ever-loving snot out of Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, by the tune of 11-2.  Being a fan of Major League Baseball, I know well enough that the Dodgers are very capable of making a comeback and I know that at one time in the game, they were down 11-0.  Coming back from a 11-run deficit is a tall order for any ball club, even for the Dodgers.  I was glad to see that 11-0 ended up being more than even the Dodgers could overcome.

I have never liked Clayton Kershaw as a left-handed pitcher, which you would think pains me being that I am a fellow lefty, but truth be told, I throw with my right hand.  I am not doubting Kershaw’s ability or prowess.  No, I’m going to be pettier than that.  Without a doubt, Kershaw has one of the absolute ugliest deliveries of any pitcher that I’ve seen.  It looks like he’s throwing the baseball while in the middle of a seizure.  It’s not smooth.  It’s very herky-jerky.  It is very difficult to look at.  I’ll admit that even I was stunned to see how the Diamondbacks got to him early and often, because even with that hideous delivery, Kershaw is normally more effective than that.  I’m not trying to quote numbers or statistics, but the one glaring number from Kershaw’s performance last night was his one-third of an inning pitched.  Yes, he only managed to get one batter out last night.  Every other batter he faced teed off on him and made him look confused, like he had no idea what he was doing on that mound.  As surprised as I was to have seen such a dismal performance, I was still very happy to see it.  Of course, it didn’t matter all that much to me that it happened to be Kershaw on the mound last night.  I would have been just as content had it been any other Dodgers pitcher having to endure such a terrible outing.

I know that the 2023 National League Divisional Series is far from over, especially after just one game.  This might be the only time that I can lay into the Dodgers, because it would not surprise me in the slightest of Arizona did not win another game in this series.  Still, that won’t stop me from hoping for a Diamondbacks’ sweep and a well-earned trip to the National League Championship Series.

I will say this though.  If I was one of the Diamondbacks who got in on the hit parade against Kershaw last night, I might be salivating at the chance to hit against him again should this series go beyond three games.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Kershaw gets the start in Game 3, if Arizona happens to come into that game with a 2-0 series lead.

Arizona bringing a 2-0 lead into Game 3?

A boy can dream.