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sports Diahuebs 14 aPRiL 2022

Kershaw pulled after 7 with perfect game; Dodgers top Twins

(AP) — Clayton Kershaw in 21 batters during a 7-0 vic-
was in prime form — call tory on Wednesday. So on a the gray, windy,
it perfect — in his season 38-degree afternoon at Target
debut for the Los Angeles “Those are selfish goals. Field, Alex Vesia entered for
Dodgers, leaving no con- We’re trying to win. That’s the eighth to boos from the
cern about his health after really all we’re here for,” Ker- blue-clad Dodgers fans in the
facing no resistance from shaw said. crowd of 17,101. Vesia gave
the Minnesota Twins. up Minnesota’s first and only
Roberts consulted with Ker- hit, a one-out single by Gary
When the time came for shaw after the sixth, and the Sánchez.
manager Dave Roberts to re- three-time NL Cy Young
lieve him, Kershaw didn’t put Award winner told him his Cody Bellinger, Gavin Lux
up a fight, either. preference: one more inning and Austin Barnes hit back-
with an 85-pitch limit. to-back-to-back home runs
Kershaw took a perfect game in the eighth against reliev-
through seven innings for the “I would have loved to have er Dereck Rodriguez, who
Dodgers until he was pulled stayed, but bigger things, made his Twins debut. said Kershaw, who threw a
after 80 pitches, dominating man, bigger things,” Kershaw Kershaw was plenty re- no-hitter against Colorado
the Twins with 13 strikeouts said. Chris Paddack had a rough freshed. on June 18, 2014. “My slider
first start with the Twins, too, was horrible the last two in-
less than a week after he was Re-signed with the Dodg- nings. It didn’t have the bite.
acquired in a trade with the ers for $17 million this year It was time.”
Padres. He lasted four in- after missing more than two
nings, with six hits and three months in 2021 with inflam- The breaking ball was awful-
runs allowed. mation in his left forearm, ly good before that, though.
Kershaw was slotted fifth in Kershaw threw 41 sliders,
Justin Turner hit a two- the rotation out of the gate. with 17 swinging strikes,
run single in the first, Trea That unusual assignment was with a fastball that never
Turner had a sacrifice fly in to give his arm more time to topped 91 mph. He struck
the second and Max Muncy build up strength in light of out the side in the sixth and
went deep in the ninth for the limited spring training fanned every Twins batter
the Dodgers, who won a 7-2 schedule. at least once except Gio Ur-
game the night before that shela, who grounded out to
was paused for 1 1/2 hours “Blame it on the lockout. third and flied out to right in
due to rain and ended after Blame it on me not picking his first two at-bats.
midnight. up a baseball until January,”