The Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Minnesota Twins became the source of a contentious debate across the baseball world when LA southpaw Clayton Kershaw had a perfect game going through seven clean innings. However, at just 80 pitches, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shockingly pulled Kershaw from the game, robbing him of a chance to become just the 24th pitcher in MLB history to become immortal for a day. While Roberts' shocking decision to pull Kershaw was the logical and correct choice for a Dodgers team set on contention, some didn't see it that way. Particularly MLB legend and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who was infuriated by the move to yank Kershaw in the midst of a perfect game.
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
Reggie Jackson's reaction is definitely the emotional, gut reaction that many baseball fans likely had to seeing Kershaw pulled while he was in the midst of mowing down the Twins en route to a perfect game.
It's normal to think “what's the game coming to” when its managers are robbing the game of a potentially historic moment from one of the game's great pitchers in Kershaw. It's normal to feel wronged for the Dodgers ace.
Heck, some, like Jackson, might go as far to say that this is analytics' stain on the modern game. However, it's not about numbers or Roberts' feel for the game. The Dodgers have a roster that, if able to stay healthy, should put up one of the best, if not the best, records in the game.
As special a moment as Kershaw's perfect game would have been in Wednesday's Dodgers-Twins game, Roberts made the right choice to pull him, even if it angers baseball's elders like Jackson.
After all, the Dodgers have bigger fish to fry.
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