Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was on the verge of a perfect game when he was pulled in the eighth inning.
The ace threw 80 pitches and struck out 13 batters in the first seven innings of Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, falling two innings shy of a chance to notch a perfect game. Still, the Dodgers pulled through with a 7-0 win.
Only 23 perfect games have been recorded in MLB history, the most recent by former Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez in 2012. To constitute a perfect game, no batter from the opposing team can reach base.
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Fans were visibly upset with the decision, many taking to social media to dispute Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’s decision.
“I don’t care about any of your extenuating circumstances — Let the man go for the perfect game,” Mark Freund, sports reporter for WHO 13 News, tweeted.
Lucky 13 Ks for Kershaw in his 2022 debut. pic.twitter.com/HikWrlDINJ
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2022
Others pointed to the historic nature of a perfect game as reason enough to keep Kershaw in the game.
“There have been more than 220,000 games in MLB history. There have been 23 perfect games. Everything — especially a pitch count of 80 — is lining up to at least let Kershaw try. You cannot pull him,” tweeted ESPN columnist Jeff Passan.
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Kershaw, who already has a no-hitter in his career, did not appear upset by the decision, agreeing that “it was time.”
“As much as I would’ve wanted to do it, I’ve thrown 75 pitches in a sim game, and I hadn’t gone six innings, let alone seven. Sure, I would’ve loved to do it. But maybe we’ll get another chance. Who knows,” Kershaw told reporters in a post-game interview.
Kershaw missed most of the Dodgers’ 2021 postseason run due to a forearm injury.
