DENVER — Clayton Kershaw will go down as one of the greatest starting pitchers in baseball history. Earlier this season, he recorded his 3,000th career strikeout to go along with numerous other accolades over an illustrious 18-year career that will land him in Cooperstown someday.
The name “Kershaw” and the word “unhittable” have been uttered in the same sentence countless times over the past two decades. But the three-time Cy Young Award winner took “unhittable” to another level against in the Dodgers’ 9-5 win over the Rockies on Thursday at Coors Field.
Just maybe not the way you might think.
Facing Ryan Ritter in the third inning, Kershaw began his windup to deliver an 0-2 pitch to the 24-year-old rookie, who surely anticipated something nasty from the legendary left-hander.
And that’s what he got … sort of.
Kershaw strode toward the plate, but instead of unleashing his signature curveball or another devastating pitch, he spiked the baseball straight into the ground.
You’re definitely not hitting that.
“Yeah, I should’ve just had [catcher Dalton Rushing] come out and take a meeting,” Kershaw said. “It’s just, when the pitch clock is running out and no one’s on base, I don’t know what to do.
“I never think to call a meeting. And I don’t wanna just throw a meatball, either. And you can’t just step off.”
The result? An unhittable Kershaw pitch for the ages.
