Clayton Kershaw waves off his coaches then ends the 8th inning himself, a breakdown

Oct 2, 2020 2.3M views 2:27
MLB 2020

What Happened

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is having a dominant outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, having thrown seven scoreless innings. As he takes the mound for the eighth inning, Kershaw waves off his pitching coach and catcher, signaling that he wants to finish the inning himself. Kershaw starts the eighth by quickly getting a strikeout, his helmet staying in place throughout the at-bat. He then walks the next batter, but appears unfazed, giving a slight glove slap as if saying "on to the next one." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the pitching coach start to make a move to the bullpen, but Kershaw stops them, wanting to stay in the game. With two outs and two strikes, Kershaw quickly picks off the runner at first base, the play confirmed by replay. He then casually cleans off his cleats, taking his time as if to remind everyone that this is his game to control. After a brief pause, Kershaw delivers another strikeout to end the inning, stranding the runner. As he walks off the mound, Kershaw looks around the stadium, almost daring his coaches to try to take him out of the game. "Why would you have thought about taking me out?" he seems to say. "I just picked the guy off and struck the guy out. I mean, next time you don't even have to think about it." Kershaw's dominant performance and his refusal to let his coaches interrupt his rhythm showcase his unwavering confidence and control on the mound. The Dodgers hold a slim lead and Kershaw's ability to work efficiently through the eighth inning will be crucial in securing the victory against their division rivals, the Brewers.

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clayton kershaw is one of the best

pitchers of our generation of any

generation

dude's really good and he goes seven

scoreless versus the brewers he's out