Perfection Not Good Enough To Finish Game For Kershaw

It's the sort of situation that every manager loves—and dreads—at the same time. Your pitcher is tossing a perfect game through seven innings. Pretty good, right? But it's early April, he's not stretched out, and he missed over two months plus the playoffs last season with a major injury. What do you do?

In the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, and manager Dave Roberts, you pull him after seven innings. Perfection or not.

That decision has sparked a storm of controversy on social media from all corners of the baseball universe, with Roberts being ripped for denying the Dodgers' legend a chance at immortality.

Pulling Clayton Kershaw six outs away from a perfect game at 80 pitches should be a crime punishable by up to 90 years in prison. Come on.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) April 13, 2022

Clayton Kershaw getting pulled from this perfect game after just 80 pitches is everything that’s wrong with new school baseball. Real great way to draw new fans in. Dave Roberts should be ashamed
— Tommy Smokes (@TomScibelli) April 13, 2022

Clayton Kershaw Perfect game 80 pitches, take him OUT !!!!! WHAT THE! what’s the game coming to?1 of the era’s best, and you take him out with a perfect game in the 7th, 7-0 Dodgers winning. Take him OUT! THIS IS BASEBALL PLEASE PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER PLAYED GET OUT OF ITS WAY
— Reggie Jackson (@mroctober) April 13, 2022

Yes, even the legendary Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, was irate over the move.

But as for Kershaw, who struck out 13 batters in the masterpiece, he thought it was the right move. Says he would have loved to complete it, but "it was the right decision.. It was time... I've (only) thrown 75 pitches in a sim(ulated) game. I haven't gone 6 innings, let alone 7."

In fact, he had an interesting take on where to pin the blame:

#Dodgers Clayton Kershaw says it was “the right decision” to pull him after 80 pitches. “Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months (during the offseason)”
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 13, 2022

“Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on my not picking up a ball for three months (during the offseason),” said Kershaw afterwards. In other words, the lockout didn't allow him to properly prepare for the season.