Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw rips ‘bush league' Cardinals move
The St. Louis Cardinals brought up bad memories, and Clayton Kershaw has had enough of the ghosts from the past.
Before the Dodgers hurler started Sunday's matchup in St. Louis, the Cardinals replayed Matt Adams' three-run home run off Kershaw from the 2014 NLDS, which wound up winning the Cardinals the series in Game 4.
'I think it's a little bush league,' Kershaw told reporters after Sunday's 7-3 win. 'But I don't expect anything less from these guys. So, it's no worries.'
3 Clayton Kershaw called the Cardinals 'bush league' after the Cardinals brought up a 2014 NLDS series.
AP
In that fateful NLDS game, Kershaw cruised through six innings before allowing the first two batters to get on in the seventh inning, when Adams' home run erased a 2-0 deficit and put the Cardinals up 3-2, which wound up being the final score.
The low-light was part of a troublesome trend early in Kershaw's future Hall of Fame career when many baseball pundits speculated that the left-hander couldn't win the big game in the playoffs.
A 10-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP, Kershaw finally got over the hump in 2020, winning the World Series in the pandemic-shortened season.
Injuries kept him from contributing to a second championship last fall, when the Dodgers defeated the Yankees, and then delayed his start to the 2025 season.
Kershaw, 37, wound up getting the last laugh on Sunday, as the vengeful Dodger legend put up his best outing of the season by allowing just one run through five innings, completing L.A.'s three-game sweep of St. Louis.
3 Clayton Kershaw hands his head after being pulled in 2014 NLDS Game 5.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
3 Matt Adams celebrates his Game 5 2014 NLDS home run.
Getty Images
'The results haven't always been there, but I feel like there's been a little bit of progress in each [start],' he said. 'Probably the biggest thing, I had a little bit better command.
In five starts to open 2025 — his 18th with the Dodgers — Kershaw stands at 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
15 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark
Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona could have used his old scooter to get around the renovated service area beneath Progressive Field. Instead, Francona made do with walking and joked about the changes that have occurred at the ballpark he called home for 11 seasons. Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati's manager as the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday. 'I got lost about three times. That's the longest (clubhouse) hallway I've ever seen,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've seen the whole thing yet just because I don't feel like icing down my knees. But from what I've seen in the ballpark, it looks good.' Francona — who used to ride a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark — isn't the only visitor who has joked about the long tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout on the first-base side. Both clubhouses were renovated during the offseason, more than tripling their size. The 66-year-old manager enters the series unbeaten against his former team: The Reds swept a three-game series at Cincinnati last month. Francona was at the helm in Cleveland for 11 seasons and is the franchise's leader in wins (921) and games managed (1,678). Cleveland made the playoffs six times under Francona and lost the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, falling just short of the franchise's first title since 1948. He was a senior advisor for the Guardians last year, but only made a couple of trips to Cleveland. He didn't want to get in the way of manager Stephen Vogt and his coaching staff. 'There were a couple times during spring, two hours away I wanted to come up, but I didn't think it was right,' Francona said. 'I just thought for the new staff here, they needed to be able to do things. They don't need me telling 'em how to do it or acting like I'm going to tell 'em how to do it.' 'During the season I watched a lot of baseball, probably more than I have in a long, long time. I'd turn on games that were in the eighth inning tied and I'd watch the end of it and flip to another game and really enjoyed it.' While Francona was happy to be back in Cleveland, his focus was on trying to help the Reds extend their winning streak to four games after a weekend sweep of Arizona. 'I had 11 really fun years here and I had some great relationships. That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat 'em tonight. That's why we're here. That'll never take away how I feel about people here,' he said. Francona was among several Reds staffers making their return. Bench coach Brad Mills and hitting coach Chris Valaika were on Francona's Cleveland staff, while first-base coach Collin Cowgill and major league coach Mike Napoli played for the franchise. Reds left fielder Will Benson, who hit four home runs during the sweep of the Guardians, was Cleveland's first-round pick in 2016. ___ AP MLB: recommended
San Francisco Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark
CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona could have used his old scooter to get around the renovated service area beneath Progressive Field. Instead, Francona made do with walking and joked about the changes that have occurred at the ballpark he called home for 11 seasons. Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati's manager as the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday. 'I got lost about three times. That's the longest (clubhouse) hallway I've ever seen,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've seen the whole thing yet just because I don't feel like icing down my knees. But from what I've seen in the ballpark, it looks good.' Francona — who used to ride a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark — isn't the only visitor who has joked about the long tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout on the first-base side. Both clubhouses were renovated during the offseason, more than tripling their size. The 66-year-old manager enters the series unbeaten against his former team: The Reds swept a three-game series at Cincinnati last month. Francona was at the helm in Cleveland for 11 seasons and is the franchise's leader in wins (921) and games managed (1,678). Cleveland made the playoffs six times under Francona and lost the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, falling just short of the franchise's first title since 1948. He was a senior advisor for the Guardians last year, but only made a couple of trips to Cleveland. He didn't want to get in the way of manager Stephen Vogt and his coaching staff. 'There were a couple times during spring, two hours away I wanted to come up, but I didn't think it was right,' Francona said. 'I just thought for the new staff here, they needed to be able to do things. They don't need me telling 'em how to do it or acting like I'm going to tell 'em how to do it.' 'During the season I watched a lot of baseball, probably more than I have in a long, long time. I'd turn on games that were in the eighth inning tied and I'd watch the end of it and flip to another game and really enjoyed it.' While Francona was happy to be back in Cleveland, his focus was on trying to help the Reds extend their winning streak to four games after a weekend sweep of Arizona. 'I had 11 really fun years here and I had some great relationships. That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat 'em tonight. That's why we're here. That'll never take away how I feel about people here,' he said. Francona was among several Reds staffers making their return. Bench coach Brad Mills and hitting coach Chris Valaika were on Francona's Cleveland staff, while first-base coach Collin Cowgill and major league coach Mike Napoli played for the franchise. ___
Hamilton Spectator
29 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark
CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona could have used his old scooter to get around the renovated service area beneath Progressive Field. Instead, Francona made do with walking and joked about the changes that have occurred at the ballpark he called home for 11 seasons. Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati's manager as the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday. 'I got lost about three times. That's the longest (clubhouse) hallway I've ever seen,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've seen the whole thing yet just because I don't feel like icing down my knees. But from what I've seen in the ballpark, it looks good.' Francona — who used to ride a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark — isn't the only visitor who has joked about the long tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout on the first-base side. Both clubhouses were renovated during the offseason, more than tripling their size. The 66-year-old manager enters the series unbeaten against his former team: The Reds swept a three-game series at Cincinnati last month. Francona was at the helm in Cleveland for 11 seasons and is the franchise's leader in wins (921) and games managed (1,678). Cleveland made the playoffs six times under Francona and lost the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, falling just short of the franchise's first title since 1948. He was a senior advisor for the Guardians last year, but only made a couple of trips to Cleveland. He didn't want to get in the way of manager Stephen Vogt and his coaching staff. 'There were a couple times during spring, two hours away I wanted to come up, but I didn't think it was right,' Francona said. 'I just thought for the new staff here, they needed to be able to do things. They don't need me telling 'em how to do it or acting like I'm going to tell 'em how to do it.' 'During the season I watched a lot of baseball, probably more than I have in a long, long time. I'd turn on games that were in the eighth inning tied and I'd watch the end of it and flip to another game and really enjoyed it.' While Francona was happy to be back in Cleveland, his focus was on trying to help the Reds extend their winning streak to four games after a weekend sweep of Arizona. 'I had 11 really fun years here and I had some great relationships. That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat 'em tonight. That's why we're here. That'll never take away how I feel about people here,' he said. Francona was among several Reds staffers making their return. Bench coach Brad Mills and hitting coach Chris Valaika were on Francona's Cleveland staff, while first-base coach Collin Cowgill and major league coach Mike Napoli played for the franchise. Reds left fielder Will Benson, who hit four home runs during the sweep of the Guardians, was Cleveland's first-round pick in 2016. ___ AP MLB:
