Lots of fans have asked exactly that same question. Some have even said “I can’t believe Freidman signed Heany!” or “What was he thinking by signing Heaney – it’s a flashback to Anderson, McCatthy, and Kazmir!” Maybe he just likes players with the name “Andrew” – After all, he did sign both Toles and Heaney. Well, it’s certainly not that. Some fans have even said that Friedman “overpaid” for Heaney. I think that is absurd because if you know anything about Friedman, he is not going to overpay for anything. It just so happens that Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers, along with at least a third of MLB teams, think that the potential is there for Heaney to develop into a lot more than he has shown.
According to The Athletic, the Dodgers were one of more than 10 teams who reached out to Andrew Heaney after he became a free agent. Teams were interested in his 26.9% strikeout rate, along with a spin rate in the 90th percentile for his fastball. He reflects a similar pitching profile to free agent Robbie Ray. In 2020, Robbie Ray had a 6.62 ERA, but in 2022, he was a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award in 2021 after a season where he finished with a 2.84 ERA and 248 strikeouts for the Blue Jays. He always had elite stuff and Toronto got it out of him.
The Dodgers and Andrew Friedman are betting that Heaney has that kind of upside as well. Andrew has a first-round pedigree to go with mediocre results. The pedigree and optics do not match the results for some strange reason. Maybe they never will, but maybe the talent will converge with the results. Try this on for size: Heaney has had 7 pitching coaches in his 8 MLB seasons, and his curveball was not the greatest. So the Dodgers have helped him ditch the curve and he is now throwing “the sweeper” which is used by Treinen and Urias.
The Dodgers moved him to the middle of the rubber (he had pitched from both the 1B and 3B sides at different times). The Dodgers also discovered several other issues according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya:
They looked at footage from previous seasons and motion capture technology to diagnose the elements of his mechanics that had eroded. His body had become too rotational pre-pitch, his hips almost facing second base before his momentum carried him to home plate. His arm slot was off, and inconsistent, leaving him unable to put his best pitch, his fastball, in optimal locations. The baseball had been too easy to see out of Heaney’s hand, allowing opposing hitters the ability to spit on his secondary offerings. And his breaking ball didn’t move enough; according to Statcast data, the pitch was below league average in terms of both horizontal and vertical movement.
– The Athletic – Fabian Ardaya
Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin have both made some very positive progress and impressions in their first season’s appearances, but to me, last night, Andrew Heaney just showed why Andrew Friedman was so quick to sign him. One game does not a season make. If Heaney had gotten bombed, I would have said, “It’s one game – give it time.” After this game, I will say, “It’s one game – give it time… but maybe some of you will just admit Andrew Friedman may have a better idea than you.” 😉
One thing that has not been mentioned as a contributing factor to Andrew Heaney’s poor season last year (and I am not making excuses) was the death of Heaney’s best friend, Tyler Skaggs. As seen in the video below, Andrew took it very hard. You can also see how the greatest player in the game respects Andrew Heaney. He may have pitched poorly in the past, but it was not for a lack of trying. Andrew Heaney is damn hard worker – now his work is hopefully more productive.
Heaney’s night was cut short by a Trea Turner bobble of a double-play ball. Heaney deserved to have a better defense behind him, but all-in-all, his outing was outstanding! This should help his confidence which had to be waning and gives him something to build on. I also realize (and so should you), that there may be some hiccups! His line last night:
Dodger Notes & News
- Who says the Dodgers don’t steal bases? They scored a run with walks and stolen bases last night without a hit. You take what you can get!
- Well, Bobby Miller just added to his Looming Legend last night. He pitched four scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 BB, and 6 K’s. He threw 58 pitches, 41 were for strikes. I am telling you, he is ready for The Show!
- Andy Pages has learned not to swing at pitches he cannot hit at a very young age. His future is getting brighter (it was already bright) and sooner! Of course, then he has to go and strike out three times last night.
- The Bazooka was impressive with two runners on and 1 out, getting the Dodgers out of the inning.
- Chris Taylor is playing at an All-Star Level… but yes, it is early!
- If Gavin Lux keeps this up, he will have to change his name to Gavin De-Lux!
- I think the Dodgers should consider Joe Davis is a one-man booth, ala/ Vin Scully. Karros is not much different from Hershiser.
- Yu Darvish suffered another “meltdown” on the mound last night against the Giants. He pitched 1.2 innings, walked 2 and gave up 9 Runs (8 Earned).
- Another vaunted former Padre Prospect (Ryan Weathers) now has a 17.18 ERA at AAA.
- Miguel Vargas is MASHING at OKC, as is Zach McKinstry… OK, Pillar is doing pretty good as well.
- Jonny DeLuca is breaking out this year – He has 4 HR to go with his .389 BA and 1.500 OPS (someone predicted that and it wasn’t me).
- Diego Cartaya had a Grand Slam last night but is still under .160 – It’s early!
- Tommy Kahnle pitched a clean inning at RC last night. He’s close!
It’s not every night that I get to watch parts of four games, but last night was one. I watched Great Lakes, Tulsa (of course I had to see Bobby Miller), Oklahoma City, part of Rancho Cucamonga (during the Dodgers rain delay)… and of course the Dodgers and Twins. Frequently, I watch the Dodgers and a Minor League Game, but last night was an anomaly!
Remember that this early, a player who is hitting .500 can go 0-4 in back-to-back games and be below the Mendoza Line and conversely, a player hotting .150 can go 2-4 in back-to-back games and be at .400. It is a long season full of peaks and valleys. Don’t forget to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch as you eat your Wheaties and drink your coffee this morning!
Brandi Carlile
Great game by the boys last night, especially the many arms who pitched last night. Mark nailed it about Heaney….lots of potential that may finally bust out this year. We hope so.
Lots of good things to talk about last night’s game, for sure. But as I looked at the box score after the game I noticed not one Dodger batting from 1-7 is batting over .250! But both our 8-9 batters are batting over .400. Pretty crazy, wouldn’t you say? I hope they keep Lux at the 9 hole because I think maybe he doesn’t put as much pressure on himself if he bats 9th. Maybe he tells himself, “ I’m batting 9th so they certainly don’t expect much from me, so he relaxes more and let’s it rip. Just a thought. As for CT….everyone here probably knows Corey Seager was my favorite Dodger, and it broke my heart to lose him, but CT is 2nd. I’m glad we didn’t lose him. He is a clutch player and we need many of those guys if we want another ring. Phew!
I agree with what many have said here…I too would rather see Freddie batting 3rd, not 2nd. Who cares about batting consecutive lefties? I guess the Dodgers do, and they know analytics better than I do, so it’s not really a BIG deal with me. Okay, Clayton’s turn….I hope he doesn’t mind pitching in cold temps. Go LA.
TM
That was our first real bad game called by the home umpire Jerry Meals. I counted at least 10+ missed strikes on both sides if not more. Isn’t there a site to see how each umpire is graded per game? If there is I’d like to see how he scored.
Be a quick turnaround game today after last night’s rain delay. Win this and we will have a 3-2 road trip before going home for 4 with Reds and 3 with Braves.
Zeke check out a site called UMP SCORECARDS (UmpScorecards.com)
They had Jerry Meals last night missing 13 pitches. His accuracy was 93% with 94% consistency. His worst stat was 9 of 55 called strikes were true balls.
Smith was the recipient of bad calls in 5th and the 8th.
Thanks for the information Phil. I will check it out. Good information to have going forward.
Zeke when you get to the page “@UmpScorecards archive
the data behind the popular Twitter platform @UmpScorecards”
be sure to click on the blue @UmpScorecards for great visual info on each ump by game. Theres a lot of info.
Thanks for pointing that feature out Phil. I learned a couple new things today, appreciate it.
Mark, you pretty much nailed it today. Did you change your mind about Lux again?
Trea is not a great shortstop. He’s a good hitter that turns a lot of outs into hits. That won’t last when his speed begins to wane. A hard pass on a long term extension. Lux should be fine to take over next year.
It sure looks like Muncy’s future is at 3B, if he figures out how to hit again. At least he takes his walks while he’s not hitting.
The umping was very bad last night, especially to Will Smith and Cody Bellinger. Belli always seems to get a wider plate than others. But, those calls to Smith were ridiculous.
I always rooted for Heaney when he was with the Angels. I’m glad to see him get off on the right foot with the Dodgers. He’s going to make a great long man later this year.
Good to see Phillips jump right back onto that horse. Is Cleavinger going to figure it out? He has the stuff.
Well, we’ve had 2 very good innings so far showing what this lineup is capable of. It’s just a matter of time before they really get going.
Remember when the Padres traded Darvish’ personal catcher? I bet Yu does! Glad he got beat like a rented mule, it would have been better if it weren’t the Giants.
The Rockies and Astros are the hottest teams in baseball. That’s how early it is.
It’s still going to be cold a wet in Minnesota today. I can’t wait for tomorrow when they’re back home.
Friday’s game is on AppleTV exclusively. This is annoying as F. But, I did want to watch Ted Lasso. Still debating in my head, but I’ll probably fold and pull out my credit card. I guess it’s time to cancel Peacock or Disney, but Obi Wan is going to start soon. Decisions, decisions.
It’s getting to point to ditch cable and buy all the channels I watch individually.
Penguin, Lux discovered it in September of last year, it’s a sequel, it picked up where it left off and it’s only going to get better.
By the way, like Belli, the umpires seem to have a wider zone with him, they always call a ball to the outside corner a strike, which is generally outside the strike zone most of the time, mainly on the first pitch. .
Lux has a very good understanding of the strike zone, rarely chasing pitches out of the zone.
Apple TV has three of the best shows. Lasso, Severance and Slow Horses
B & P,
1. On Lux: I see what I see – He looks great right about now. He doesn’t have that deer-in-the-headlights look. I like it. I hope he keeps it up.
2. Cleavinger may need some more time at AAA, but he has the arm and stuff.
3. I have been a subscriber to Apple TV for a while. They have some really good shows:
See
Coda
Tehran
Mosquito Coast
4. I ditched cable about a year ago and got the fastest high-speed connection I could get. Also got a Top-of-The Line Router/Signal Booster from Netgear. It has the base (1st floor), and two remotes (for the 2nd floor and basement). I opted for YouTubeTv as my prime app. I also have Prime Video, Hulu, Apple+, Netflix, and Disney. It’s a lot less than Xfinity Cable. (I have 9 Smart TV’s), so wee need the three hot spots.
Funny story. I call my 18-month-old Granddaughter Rey Skywalker and she is supposed to call me Obi-Wan, but she insists on calling me “Mach.” We were in Florida last week with them and when she wakes up in the morning, it’s “Mach, Mach, Mach, Mach, Mach…”
That’s so funny, Mach! Kinda like a Bostonian would pronounce Mark? My son couldn’t say Frog, he would pronounce it as bot!
I know it’s early, but Lux looks like he’s finally figuring it out. When you’re hot, you don’t chase. We’ll see what happens when he gets real comfortable and thinks he can hit everything. The difference between is a great hitter and a bad one at this level is to not let the slumps keep going. He’ll make some bad throws in the field from time to time, but he definitely doesn’t have the yips.
I’ll probably sign up for AppleTV, for one freaking game! I’ve already watched everything on Peacock, I thought Paramount was going to be next, I guess this one game will delay Paramount for a while.
The bullpen is absolutely stacked. Historic! That’s for you Patch.
Good to stay away from Treinen and Kimbrel last night. They should be geared up for today’s game, if needed.
“I know it’s early, but Lux looks like he’s finally figuring it out. When you’re hot, you don’t chase. We’ll see what happens when he gets real comfortable and thinks he can hit everything. The difference between is a great hitter and a bad one at this level is to not let the slumps keep going. He’ll make some bad throws in the field from time to time, but he definitely doesn’t have the yips.”
I think this is why Trea wasn’t extended. Not to say he won’t be signed after this year when he’s a free agent, but Lux was a #2 nationally ranked prospect who projects as a future All Star for a reason. I think the Dodgers wanted to see if Lux develops before they make a decision on TT, but if Lux can give you 90% of what TT does now at his peak, it makes Lux a better long-term value.
I’ve seen figures of 8 years/280 for TT. The Dodgers have money, but even they have limits. They still have to pay Buehler, Urias and probably Muncy, on top of the mega contracts they already have. Lux isn’t a UFA until 2027. Urias needs to get paid in 2024.
The bullpen needs to be stacked. For every gem the team uncovers, there’s going to be some Cleavingers or V-Gons that can’t deliver the goods. It’s gonna be a while till Roberts figures out who’s who.
What’s wrong with the name Andrew? There aren’t enough good players in baseball with that name. Heaney looked stellar last night and didn’t get the the win after pitching a possible 5 innings because of the botched DP by Trea Turner which would have put him in line for the win. The score would have been 1-0 Dodgers and the add on runs came in the 8th inning. AF is brilliant and more help from the minors is on the way. Never underestimate the Dodger money to get the job done and their will to win.
AF should hire you!!!
I wanted Kersh to keep pitching, but it’s good he endorsed the decision.
The second best news from this game is Belli coming alive. And Lux keeping it up ranks third. (And now Barnes is on pace to hit about 70 HRs. )
Also nice to see Muncy deliver his first HR, but never too worried about him. Solid track record.
It will be great if Heaney reclamation project keeps working. The talent was never in doubt. He was a first-round draft pick and he was part of the Angels rotation for years, but very inconsistent. (In related news, Manaea pitched six more strong innings for the Pads in a 2-1 loss to the Giants.)
And while the Dodgers seem to be righting the ship, the news from the farm continues to be encouraging….
Hey, any of you folks go see the Quakes?
Any insider knowledge about parking or what to expect?
I discovered a drop from my eye and don’t know why hearing that gal sing that song. Hell of a voice!
Here’s another one Quas… that may be even better:
I dont like Karros nearly as much as the Bulldog. Joe and Orel have a great rapport, I dont see that with EK…yet.
Why is Orel not doing Road games, was that his request so he can watch his son play more??? Anyone have an idea?
SP Clayton Kershaw L
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
DH Max Muncy L
3B J. Turner R
LF Chris Taylor R
CF C. Bellinger L
2B Gavin Lux L
C A. Barnes R
12% Rain
41° Wind 14 mph Out
Well, that’s slightly better – it was 100% rain last night!
Clayton Kershaw is going to pitch a perfect game.
Although the season has started slowly for the offense the pitching has been good and especially out of the bullpen. With the offense scoring a majority of their runs in only three innings in four games the games have been not been the most “must see” watches. Tyler Anderson looked pretty good in his outing. And, Heaney looked like a different pitcher with him using an effective slider while eliminating his curveball. I don’t think in today’s market taking a chance on a one year $8.5M contract was an outlandish move by a AF. Same with the Tyler Anderson signing. Now, spending $100M on overrated Cuban misfits was outlandish!
Good see Lux get off to a good start. I think him hitting ninth is perfect for him right now. With him and
Taylor in the 8/9 spot is allows for some speed and aggressive base running when the lineup turns over with Betts and Trea. With the exception of JT the Dodger lineup has above average speed and it should be taken advantage of more often. That would be a refreshing addition to the Dodger offense.
With the way Cody finished 2021 I was expecting a huge season for him. But, so far, he has had trouble just making contact and has returned (for the most part) to swinging from his heels. It’s sad to watch. It looks like it’s a timing issue right now. How he solves the problem is a big question mark. The word is that Cody is very coachable and he is a hard worker, but the positive results aren’t there. How can this be? He is so athletic and talented. He has access to the best coaches and technology. It just doesn’t make sense. Going to the minors to “get right” is not the answer. If things don’t change it would not surprise me if Cody is part of a trade before the trade deadline for a premium starting pitcher. If his performance continues on like this there’s no way the Dodgers sign him long term. And, if the team decides that, then it’s better to move him now. I know it would be selling low, but it might get to the point of a scrap price in the future. Hopefully, any trade talk becomes irrelevant with a major turnaround.
Mark, with the content, cost and platform you provide us I think a couple of ads for US Water Systems are acceptable. The bottom ad is actually quite clever! Your right, “The Story” by Brandi was excellent. I’ve heard that song from other artists and love the lyrics. I’ve heard of her but never listened to any of her songs before. But, I will definitely check out some of her stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Cody Bellinger is such a good player that he can contribute to winning a game in many ways. Although he is still far from his best offensive level, he is still valuable to the team for his defense and his speed, yesterday he achieved something that the Dodgers should do much more often, he got a BB and then he stole second and third, then he scored a run with an SF, it was wonderful. If they had played like they usually do, Belli would have been parked at first base waiting for the big hit.
With these Dodgers it’s: “Let the deer run “!!!
The people who say Bellinger should be sent to AAA, that he is selfish, that he doesn’t listen, that he is finished, blah, blah, blah, don’t have a clue.
Even though he just got a hit, we have to reserve judgment for a couple of months. I wonder if some of the critics have ever watched baseball before.
Mark and others were in a big hurry to have Kershaw retire. I guess he can still pitch a bit though…
What was the Jackass who said Kershaw was done?
Oh, that would be me!
Welcome fellow jackass!
I’ll take that one too. I didn’t want to resign him either. Today was great and I felt great for him. I even saw him hit 92 in the cold. Let’s see how he holds up. I’m certain he’ll end up on the IL at some point, but I’m rooting for him to cash in another Cy Young.
DeLux saved the Perfect Game.
Let’s make this a Perfect Bullpen Game!
bring in a non-Kershaw pitcher and the perfecto is gone
What was the Jackass that said Bellinger should go to AAA?
I never said that, but I’m glad for what I did say….that I would withhold any criticism or judgment until he plays 25 games. Based on what I’ve seen these last two games, I may not have anything but praise for Belli after 25.
And like i wish for Lux, I also hope Belli stays batting 7th and doesn’t move up. FYI, I noticed when CT was moved up from his 8 spot he went hit less today. Of course, that was just a coincidence and should not be held high. I just happened to notice that and chuckled thinking about it.
Anyone going tomorrow to the home opener? It’d be fun to meet up and get a drink.
Sometime in May…
Stings to pull Kershaw with two innings left to get the perfecto, but understandable. If this was July, then maybe it’s a different story.
Fun to imagine him getting a perfect game, though. Thanks Hanley, for blowing his last one.
I saw a changeup. Fastball was a consistent 90. Hitters seem totally confused by his slider.
My god he will get a gigantic ovation tomorrow night when he’s introduced!
Mark, where did you pull that perfect game prediction from? I think that is amazing. 7 innings of perfect pitching. Wow!
Go Dodgers!
I was accused of making WAGs yesterday, so I made another.
Impressive when your WAG’s come to fruition.
Bauer’s administrative leave extended until April 22nd.
Just to repeat: Ozuna was observed by police, and it was recorded on police bodycam, grabbing his wife by the throat and throwing her against a wall, causing visible injuries that required medical attention. He got a 16 game suspension that was waived for time served for his 20 game administrative leave.
Unbelievable! I guess they are going to keep doing this all season long……
Wow, can you believe that performance by CK? I had my doubts about his health and he still may break down, but for him staying in LA and not running off to Texas, I grew even more admiration for him, if that is possible.
Three HRs in a row…the 7,8, and 9 hitters no less. Are we stacked or are we stacked? Too bad we are leaving Minnesota….this has been fun.
TM
On 3 consecutive pitches! 😉
I didn’t know that….even more unbelievable.
Barns had a 0-1 count on him when he hit his HR. So it was 3 on 4 pitches.
Anyone else here besides me close their eyes when they look at Washington’s daily box score?
JGray and KRuiz……two future Stars may possibly have a chance to make the All Star team this year. We gave up a lot for the rental, but had we won the WS last year it would have all been worth it….or even if we had resigned Max this year. But now seeing we have nothing to show for giving up those two….it somewhat hurts. But no regrets….we came close…
Of course, I never said “ I wish we didn’t trade them for Max”……but I am thinking it now.
Well, you also got your starting shortstop who also was the batting champ…
Lol…..I forgot about him. Duh! Thanks for reminding me….it’s tough getting older…
An embarrassed TM
I think Jo Jo will be good. But Ruiz needed to be traded. He was ready and would have been waisted as a backup. Let not forget, we got a very young kid in A ball who people more knowledgeable than me have called a potential generational talent at catcher. Dodgers aren’t going to have any issue at catcher for a long long time. I have no issue with that trade.
Happy to see Bellinger getting some hits but I won’t believe he will make an impact until he makes contact with balls up in the strike zone.
Any pitcher that throws a pitch down in the zone out over the plate to Belli should be sent down! But I’m still rooting for him to prove me wrong on stuff up in the zone
My real problem with CB is I’m seeing a lot of guessing swinging.
The problem I had with Lux was his coiffed beard he used to sport. Now that he has let it get thicker, he looks like a ballplayer.
Barnes is valuable. I love him as the #2 catcher.
If Lux keeps hitting would Dodgers consider trading Trea in July?
I started getting text from a couple friends in Chicago at about 11:30 this morning. I was busy and wasn’t paying attention to the score. Bolted to the closest sports bar (which filled up in about 20 minutes. I wasn’t the only one who played hooky).
Disappointing he couldn’t finish. But I’m seeing all verity of anger and BS from Dodger fans blasting Roberts. It was obviously Kersh’s call. He’s never been shy about letting Roberts know if he didn’t want to be taken out. He looked completely at peace with not going out in the 8th. Dodger fans can really be buttholes.
A great day to be a Dodger fan! The “old man” still got it! And throwing his new change up! And congrats Belli! And who was the idiot who said Belli should go to OKC? Well I’m pretty sure it was me. Keep on keeping me shut up Cody.
Great game, but an April win against a mediocre club. Kershaw was not going to go the distance even if he was averaging 10 pitches an inning, which he obviously wasn’t. He knew it, Roberts knew it, the American people knew it. He was smiling big time in the dugout after 7. It’s about October, not April.
Jackass? blah, blah, blah don’t have a clue? Mellow out Mach Mach Mach
Bellinger. I admit I said if he isn’t better by Mother’s Day he should go lead off in OKC. Hopefully that shot on a frozen day in Minnesota will turn it around for him, but I need to see more, a lot more, before I say he’s worthy of starting for this team. I think he’ll get there but he’s not there yet.
lol – I wanted him to keep going. Oh well, with all the recent trips to the IL and the PRP in the offseason, I get it. A win is a win. He’s going to end up on the IL at some point this season anyways. On the other hand, it just might have been the greatest game ever pitched. Two more K’s would have been the record during a perfect game. Just 1 more would have tied it.
Total bullcrap with Bauer. Way to ruin a perfect day, twice.
He should have gone up in the zone with Belli? You could throw the ball anywhere a few days ago and Belli would swing right through it. What happened to Belli can’t hit anything? Baby steps.
I loved the Bang, Bang, Bang from 7, 8, 9 today. That was bad ass!
Lux has a glove and a bat. Maybe he’ll start using his plus, plus speed to steal some bases soon. Let the kid grow up, his beard is just starting to come in.
Thanks to Kersh for resting that 11 man bullpen today. They should be ready to go against the Reds.
AF should hire you!!!
I wanted Kersh to keep pitching, but it’s good he endorsed the decision.
The second best news from this game is Belli coming alive. And Lux keeping it up ranks third. (And now Barnes is on pace to hit about 70 HRs. )
Also nice to see Muncy deliver his first HR, but never too worried about him. Solid track record.
It will be great if Heaney reclamation project keeps working. The talent was never in doubt. He was a first-round draft pick and he was part of the Angels rotation for years, but very inconsistent. (In related news, Manaea pitched six more strong innings for the Pads in a 2-1 loss to the Giants.)
And while the Dodgers seem to be righting the ship, the news from the farm continues to be encouraging….
Hey, any of you folks go see the Quakes?
Any insider knowledge about parking or what to expect?
Not much inside knowledge necessary for the Quakes. We’re going to our first game Saturday. Parking is easy. If you want to meet the player or get autographs, show up when the gates open. Given how close Rancho Cucamonga is to LA, the obnoxious autograph hounds show up after the game (too cheap to actually buy tickets). So they started exporting players to their cars out the back of the stadium after the game. Before the game, the players warm up in left field. Many will sign and take pictures with fans. It’s a good experience.
Not like this isn’t already beating a dead horse in the sports world; but the lack of respect for Kershaw is annoying me.
He’s an automatic 1st ballot HOFer. MVP. Cy Youngs. WS champion. Second best pitcher to ever wear the blue.
But apparently to many fans (and taking heads) he’s “soft”. “Doesn’t care about fans”. “Helping to destroy the game”.
I’ve been critical of Robert’s short leash with pitchers. Dick Mountains opportunity for a perfect game was obviously not something Hill agreed with. Kershaw hasn’t been happy many times when he was pulled.
But Kersh obviously agreed that he was done. I could see it on his face and he said so in the post game interview.
What the hell does he have to prove to anybody? He wants another ring. I was surprised he even pitched this year. Much less have what might be his best performance (even better in many ways than his no no) of his career in his first start of 2022.
There is a a lot wrong with baseball right now. The one thing people don’t want to admit is that the fans are one of the things that are wrong.
Like when Koufax hung it up at 30. His arm. His career. His life. He earned that right. He owed fans nothing more than he already gave them.
I feel the same today.
Ditto! One of the reasons I comment less these days is is some of us don’t know a hero when they see him even with all what’s always been in front of them. 13 k’s in 7 innings! WOW!!!
Kershaw wasn’t Kershaw until he added a slider. Heaney basically just added a slider when he changed how he was throwing it. Spring stats really are meaningless when an awesome new pitch is added just before game 4 of the regular season.
FYI, his fastball topped out at 89. But his control was impeccable, In Mesquite Nevada for the night.
How does anybody who pays attention to the Dodgers not understand that CK was going 7 max and Doc would pull the plug? It was the an absolute no-brained. Instead of celebrating a magnificent performance, some idiots choose to find something to criticize. Amazing.
So I was in the camp that thought he was done – probably. His injury was not to the UCL reportedly, but we weren’t sure given the secrecy from the organization. That is so frequently TJ masking and I though he may be done for good. But nobody knew.
He still might be Day-to-Day with his injury history. Every day we get from CK May be a gift. Something may go the next outing, sometime this season. Or never.
For anybody who thinks he got cheated by Doc for a shot at a perfect game has a massive cranial-rectal inversion. Some have gone from wondering if he would ever pitch period, to pitching for the Dodgers, to having any stuff left, to bitching about extending him unnecessarily, of a risky perfect game. It was obvious CK and Doc agreed on the plan and any idiots who don’t get it need to watch the Knitting Channel.
Awesome event to watch. Total dominance.
Roberts’ decision to remove Clayton in today’s game is a consequence of the lockout that led to a much shorter than normal ST, that’s why all pitchers, from all teams, are going 60-70 pitches , no MLB pitcher under those circumstances will be asked to go 100 or more pitches in his first game.
ANYONE WHO IS CRITICIZING ROBERTS’ DECISION TO REMOVE KERSHAW DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE DODGERS OR CLAYTON KERSHAW’S HEALTH!!!