The Los Angeles Dodgers did not have their best night at the plate on Saturday, but they still were able to earn a 3-1 come-from-behind victory to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates for a second straight game.
One key reason for that was the performance of the Dodgers pitching staff, particularly starter Clayton Kershaw. He turned in his best outing of the year, allowing just four hits and one run in seven innings while striking out a season-high eight batters without any walks.
Kershaw also managed to emerge unscathed from scary play in the top of the second inning that luckily did not lead to any injuries.
With two outs and no one on base, Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds hit a ground ball to Max Muncy at first base. Kershaw was late going to cover the bag, so when Muncy made the toss to him he decided to slide into first to beat Reynolds, taking him out in the process.
After the game, Kershaw discussed the play, to explain his thought process and express some remorse over how it unfolded, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I just didn’t know where the base was, so I thought tagging him was easier. I mean, I’ve never been accused of being graceful before. I felt bad, I hope he’s OK. It seemed like he was fine. But, yeah, just trying to get outs any way I can.”
Kershaw missed the first couple weeks of the season due to shoulder inflammation that he dealt with during Spring Training. While it delayed his 2019 debut, the left-hander has looked like his usual self since returning.
In three starts, Kershaw is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA, 2.93 FIP and 0.75 WHIP while striking out 21 and walking four in 20 innings. While the organization would like him to continue that type of production on the mound, sliding into first base is surely something that he will be hoping to never see again from their ace.
