Clayton Kershaw cracked funny joke after perfect game bid

Apr 13, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) returns to the dugout after seven perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a bid for a perfect game Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. This was not the first time this season he had done so, but he joked that this one was a little more serious.

Kershaw threw seven perfect innings Friday before giving up a leadoff double to the Angels’ Luis Rengifo to start the eighth. The lefty ended up throwing eight scoreless innings without allowing another baserunner in the dominant performance.

Kershaw also threw seven perfect innings in his first start of the season against Minnesota, but was lifted because of pitch count concerns. Facing no such limitation on Friday, Kershaw joked that he “didn’t have many excuses” for not getting the job done this time.

"I didn't have many excuses for this one," Clayton Kershaw joked, alluding to getting pulled after seven back in April. "I really wanted to do it. I think it would have been really fun for everybody involved, just the way everybody played tonight."

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) July 16, 2022

This is a tongue-in-cheek way for Kershaw to jokingly absolve himself from responsibility of not finishing Friday’s gem. He had previously said that pulling him from the perfect game bid in April was the correct decision by manager Dave Roberts. Kershaw was not coming out of this one as long as he kept it going. Unfortunately for him, he could not quite finish it.