It started out as yet another perfect day in the City of Angels. The skies were bright, sunny, and a brilliant blue, the weather was textbook LA gorgeous, and Clayton Kershaw – the undisputed best pitcher on the planet – was on the mound for the Dodgers. Things just couldn’t get any better than this.

But they could certainly get worse … and did.

After a Kershaw-like first inning in which the 29-year-old Dallas, Texas native needed only eight pitches to retire the Atlanta Braves in order on two harmless ground outs and a strike out, Kershaw returned to the mound to begin his second inning of work.

And then disaster struck. Disaster of epic proportion for the Dodgers, Dodger fans, and every fan of the game itself – favorite team notwithstanding.

“It started there in the warm-ups in the second inning, just felt a little something in my back that wasn’t … wasn’t normal,” Kershaw would later tell reporters.

Amazingly – unless you’re Clayton Kershaw, that is – the three-time NL Cy Young award winner, 2014 NL MVP and current MLB wins leader remained in the game … briefly.

Somehow, Kershaw managed to get Braves left fielder and former teammate Matt Kemp and ever-dangerous Braves right fielder Nick Markakis to also ground out harmlessly. But it was then that the sirens sounded and the red lights went off for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and trainer Nathan Lucero, prompting a mound visit.

After making several practice pitches, amazingly – unless you’re Clayton Kershaw, that is – the veteran left-hander convinced Roberts to leave him in the game … briefly.

In spite of retiring six of the seven batters he faced on only 21 pitches over two innings, it was obvious very quickly that there was something seriously wrong with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. The burning question now is how serious?
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

After walking Braves catcher Tyler Flowers on five pitches, Kershaw struck out perennial Dodger killer Matt Adams on four pitches to end the second inning. They would be the final four pitches of the day for the Dodger ace. Upon arriving in the dugout after that fateful second inning, Kershaw disappeared into the tunnel, along with Lucero and other medical personnel.

“He couldn’t get extended, the aggression wasn’t there,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said, after the game. “I even [said to home plate umpire Ben May] ‘He’s kind of messed up.’ I noticed the length of stride seemed short. He didn’t want to hurt it more, but he didn’t want to come out of the game. Then even after he was hurt he struck out Adams, kind of got after it. He’s an animal.”

A now wounded animal.

Just how seriously is Kershaw wounded? In spite of Roberts’ efforts to put a positive spin on it, Dodger fans fear that this may once again put their favorite pitcher on the shelf for an extended period of time, much like it did last season when Kershaw was lost to the disabled list for over 10 weeks.

“With his history, there wasn’t any shooting pain down the leg or the sensations he felt last year, so that’s encouraging,” said Roberts, who confirmed that Kershaw will go on the 10-day disabled list. “Obviously, what he means to our ballclub and his history, so yeah, there’s pause. We’ve got to do scans. Let medical guys do their thing.

“He wasn’t feeling anything before that warm-up,” Roberts added. “From what I understand it’s more muscular. That sharpness from the herniation [last season] is not what he felt today. The scans could prove different. That’s all I got on that.”

Those scans and other tests were expected to take place later on Sunday evening by noted back and spine specialist Dr. Robert G. Watkins III, with the results likely to be made public during Roberts’ media scrum prior to Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium; at least the results that he and the Dodgers front office are willing to make public.

Until then, all that the Dodgers, Dodger fans, and every fan of the game itself – favorite team notwithstanding – can do is wait anxiously.

…and say a prayer for the undisputed best pitcher on the planet.