The San Diego Padres previously defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in an early-May game. The Padres proceeded to place a meme of Clayton Kershaw crying on the scoreboard. Why would the Padres scoreboard operator choose to troll one of the most respected players in baseball? The answer is unclear, but the tables have completely turned since that incident.

Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti broke down how the Dodgers and Padres have shifted in different directions since the “crying Kershaw” meme.

“A quick update: as u may recall, on May 5 in SD, the @Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw lost. The Petco scoreboard operator put up a meme of a crying Kershaw.  Since then the Dodgers have beaten SD 8 of 9 and SD has lost 10 games in the standings,” Colletti shared on Twitter.

Dodgers, Padres trending in opposite directions

San Diego was supposed to be Los Angeles' most pressing competition in the National League West during the 2023 season. Instead, the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks (before their recent cold stretch) have given the Dodgers far more trouble. The Padres are currently in fourth place while LA continues to lead the NL West.

It should be noted that the Padres players weren't on board with the Clayton Kershaw meme. SP Joe Musgrove questioned why the team would choose to share a meme like that. Still, the scoreboard operator made the decision and the Dodgers have performed especially well against the Padres ever since.

Most recently, LA went into San Diego and took three of four games at Petco Park. Overall, the Dodgers have now won six of their past seven games and will look to keep their momentum trending in a positive direction on Tuesday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.