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By Jon Weisman
Clayton Kershaw came back from a 6 1/2-week absence and kept the Washington Nationals as quiet as a Sunday morning snow flurry.
He blanketed them. He turned Nationals Park into the house on the Night Before Christmas. He pitched in such a way that I wouldn’t have trouble believing that Kershaw could bound from chimney to chimney, delivering toys to every home on the globe, while also making compensatory adjustments for non-participating households.
There were nine hits against him. I’m trying to reconcile the nine hits against him. I may actually be having an existential crisis over the nine hits against him. I’m not trying to deny them, not trying to deny that in a game that was scoreless until the sixth inning, there was actual peril – the same way there was peril in not knowing whether Rudolph’s nose might conk out somewhere over Greenland.
There was even this. Comedy.
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Still, still, it was the way Kershaw made you feel watching him, the way from the first strike he made you feel safe and secure, that baseball was once again a gift, that the stray brushstrokes were all part of the show, that even in a busy and converging world, there can be peace.
It doesn’t stay that way. But that it circles back that way, maybe that’s enough.
Alfred Hwang
and then there was the bullpen.
trublu4ever
Yes….thank goodness for Butera’s 3 run homer….it may have turned into a disaster!
Don Bright
Well only one culprit, Perez, 2nd bad outing in a row, hopefully his carriage isn’t turning into a pumpkin, Wright and Jansen were just fine. In reality, Kershaw should have been allowed to start the 8th, he was under 90 pitches still. Bad in game management by DM, as usual.
trublu4ever
I agree. To me, the biggest mistake in the off season, was the extension of DM’s contract. Mark my words, if we don’t make the playoffs, with the talent we have, it will be attributed to our “babe in the woods” manager.
Jordan Pratty
Kershaw CLXXXIV: The Usual Kersuspect
berkowit28
Good callback. It looks like Jon may have had to retire the count, going back to his many previous blogs. Keep it going here. It may be too much for him to resist eventually – maybe Kershaw CC?
Jon Weisman
I don’t understand – I put a Kershaw CLXXXIV in the pregame post. It’s right there.
berkowit28
Oops, I missed that.
oldbrooklynfan
I would guess that the 9 hits were just to show that Kershaw is just another human being like the rest of us.
artieboy
Pretty painting :)
berkowit28
Pissarro.
Jon Weisman
I wrote a paper on that painting in 12th grade.