(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
There is always a first time for everything in life.
That also applies to baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher of his generation.
He has been helping the Dodgers win games since 2008, and far from showing signs of age, he seems to get better every year.
However, for the first time in his illustrious career, he gave up a home run on a curveball low and out of the zone.
“Clayton Kershaw has thrown 2,598 curveballs BELOW the zone in his career. This is the first time he’s given up a home run on that pitch,” Inside Edge MLB tweeted.
Clayton Kershaw has thrown 2,598 curveballs BELOW the zone in his career. This is the first time he’s given up a home run on that pitch.#Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Qf4zSTIUZd
— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) June 15, 2023
Of course, it takes a special hitter to have the kind of patience, bat control, and speed to wait out the pitch and put on a powerful swing to knock it out of the park.
It was Chicago White Sox star Luis Robert Jr.
Kershaw’s fastball, slider, and command are all legitimate weapons and have been for his entire MLB tenure.
However, his hook is called the “Cooperstown curve” for a reason: it is legitimately elite.
Kershaw loves to bury it down in the zone, often in the dirt, to trick hitters into swinging and missing.
However, in this case, it was a bit too close to the zone and Robert didn’t waste his chance.
It’s still shocking that Kershaw hadn’t given up a home run on 2,597 curveballs below the zone.
With a 2.95 ERA in 82.1 innings, he is having another fantastic season, as we are used to seeing from him.
There is a place in the Hall of Fame waiting for him when he decides to retire.
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