If baseball teaches us anything, it’s that even the greats have days that don’t go their way. And on Sunday, Clayton Kershaw, one of the most dominant left-handers of our generation — and a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer — found himself smack in the middle of one of those no-good, very bad days at the office after costly team errors.
A Promising Start Turns South Fast
It started off like classic Kershaw: crisp command, surgical precision, three quick innings, and the Dodgers had staked him to a comfortable 3-0 lead. That’s usually the recipe for a win in the Kershaw cookbook. Fans were probably settling in, thinking this would be another routine day at Chavez Ravine. But, oh no — baseball had other plans.
Cue the top of the fourth. That’s when the wheels didn’t just fall off — they spun off like a NASCAR crash. Two defensive errors by the Dodgers cracked the door open for the Brewers, and they walked right through, plating three runs and wiping out that lead in the blink of an eye. You could see it on Kershaw’s face — that tight-jawed frustration, that internal “what more do you want from me?” look. Still, the veteran kept it cool out on the mound. Like a pro.
The Fifth Inning Meltdown After Errors
But then came the fifth. Kershaw hits a batter, gives up a single, and boom — another defensive miscue, another gut punch. Dave Roberts pulls him, and the walk back to the dugout says it all. And when he gets there? That cool exterior cracks. Frustration boils over, and who could blame him?
This isn’t just a game to Kershaw — it’s legacy, it’s pride, it’s the grind of being that guy for over a decade. And on a day when the arm looked good, the control was there, and the scoreboard should’ve tilted in his favor, the defense couldn’t back him up. Brutal.
A Loss Beyond the Box Score
Look, pitchers like Kershaw know you can’t win ‘em all. But when you’re doing your job — and doing it well — and still watching the lead vanish because of sloppy play behind you? That’s next-level maddening.
So yeah, Clayton, we see you. We feel it. Sunday wasn’t fair. But the resume speaks louder than any one bad inning. And you’ll be back out there, doing what you do.
