Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
That was very real, and nearly spectacular.
You know it had to be, considering that the consolation prize was a 3-0 shutout for Clayton Kershaw, extending this year’s scoreless streak to 29 consecutive innings.
Numerous people joked before tonight’s game that the no-hit watch for Kershaw tonight should begin in the top of the first, considering the offensively challenged Mets lineup he was facing. But pretty soon, it wasn’t any joke at all.
For six spellbinding innings, using only 62 pitches, Kershaw owned New York, setting down the first 18 batters in a row, and the possibility that he would merely retire each remaining Mets batter one more time — for his second year in a row with a no-hitter, this time with a perfect cherry on top — seemed entirely realistic.
In the top of the seventh, the imminent magic moment was popped, when Curtis Granderson lined an 0-2 pitch to right field for the Mets’ first baserunner.
One out later, Wilmer Flores hit a bloop to right for a second hit, and not only was the perfect game gone, but suddenly in jeopardy were Kershaw’s shutout streak and his slim 1-0 lead — provided by Jimmy Rollins’ third-inning, 420-foot homer off Bartolo Colon to right center.
With the pressure on, Kershaw stepped up to strike out John Mayberry Jr. and retire Eric Campbell on a slow grounder to short.
In the eighth, Lucas Duda defied a shift with a leadoff single to right field for the third hit off Kershaw, but was picked off moments later. Then, a bases-loaded walk by pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo and Yasiel Puig’s sacrifice fly tripled the Dodgers’ lead in the ninth inning and widened Kershaw’s tightrope.
Retiring the side in order in the ninth, Kershaw finished with 11 strikeouts on 104 pitches (79 for strikes). He went to ball 3 twice in the game.
For the first six innings, two plays threatened to disrupt Kershaw’s perfect game. With one out in the bottom of the third inning, Kershaw had his only full count, to Mets catcher Anthony Recker (.279 on-base percentage). Kershaw’s pitch hit the lower border of the strike zone for the whiff.
In the bottom off the fifth, Campbell struck out swinging, but the ball bounced away from Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal, and it was immediately clear this would be a tough play at first. Grandal raced to retrieve the ball and fire it on one hop to Adrian Gonzalez, who dug it out to record the out by an eyelash.
Days after Zack Greinke had a streak of 28 batters in a row retired, Kershaw retired 25 in a row before Granderson’s hit.
In addition to the scoreless inning streak, we’re left with the following numbers for Kershaw:
- Kershaw is the first MLB pitcher with three straight games of at least 10 strikeouts and no runs or walks allowed.
- In 11 starts since May 23, Kershaw has a 1.21 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
- In his past 16 July starts, Kershaw has a 0.89 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 9.5 K/9.
- Kershaw has combined with Greinke to pitch 56 innings this month. They have allowed one run, for a 0.16 ERA.
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