Clayton Kershaw (37·Los Angeles Dodgers) did not hide his displeasure at the taunts from the St. Louis Cardinals. He properly ‘punished’ St. Louis with his skills.

Kershaw started the road game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2025 Major League at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the 9th (Korean time), pitching 5 innings, allowing 6 hits, with no walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, leading the Dodgers to a 7-3 victory.

This was his first win in his fifth appearance of the season. After undergoing surgery on his left big toe and knee last November, Kershaw returned to the Major League mound on the 18th of last month but struggled in his first four games (15⅔ innings) with an earned run average of 5.17. In the game against the New York Mets on the 4th, he continued to struggle, pitching 4⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 5 runs (3 earned).

However, Kershaw succeeded in bouncing back against St. Louis that day. Compared to previous games, he effectively commanded his breaking balls like sliders and curves, striking out 7 batters. Kershaw increased his total strikeouts to 2,983, surpassing Zack Greinke (2,979), and moved up to 20th place all-time in this institutional sector. He is just 17 strikeouts away from the coveted milestone of 3,000 strikeouts.

This victory was especially satisfying for Kershaw, as it marked his triumph over the taunts from St. Louis before the game. Busch Stadium, the home field of St. Louis, played a highlight reel of the 4th game of the National League (NL) Division Series against the Dodgers in 2014 on the scoreboard repeatedly before introducing the lineups for both teams.

In the 4th game of the Division Series against St. Louis at that time, Kershaw pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, and 9 strikeouts, suffering a loss. In the 7th inning, with no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, he gave up a go-ahead three-run home run to Matt Adams, and St. Louis won the series 3-1, defeating the Dodgers.

For St. Louis, it must have been significant to rekindle those memories while igniting their ambition for a sweep in this series. However, they could not escape criticism for openly mocking the opposing team's starting pitcher before the game.

Kershaw himself expressed his displeasure. According to the Los Angeles Times, Kershaw said after the game, "I think it was a low-quality act," expressing his dissatisfaction, and added, "I don’t expect anything better from St. Louis. It’s not worth worrying about, and it’s no problem."

The team that mocked Kershaw was not just St. Louis. The San Diego Padres, also in the NL West, mocked Kershaw two years ago. On May 5, 2023, against San Diego, Kershaw pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing 8 hits (2 home runs), 5 walks, and 7 strikeouts, suffering a loss. When San Diego won 5-2, the scoreboard at Petco Park displayed an animated video of Kershaw crying. The mocking intent was apparent. At that time, Kershaw responded maturely, saying, "I should have pitched better. If we had won the game, San Diego wouldn’t have done that."

Two years later, this time St. Louis displayed videos that provoked Kershaw on the scoreboard before the game, but the provocation failed. Given that it was his first win of the season, it held much more significance for Kershaw. He expressed satisfaction, saying, "I felt like I was improving little by little with each game. My command was particularly good."

The Dodgers, who have 14 pitchers on the injured list, are also pleased with Kershaw’s first win. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Kershaw’s performance, saying, "It was really fantastic. It was the best pitching of the season. There wasn’t a feeling of struggling to find something. He has returned to his original form. This is exactly what we need."

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