During Monday night’s online Zoom Party, Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw was asked by a fan what opposing batter he feared/fears facing the most. And while the answer of 32-year-old Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX may have come as a bit of a surprise to some, in all honesty, it really shouldn’t have.

“Mike Trout,” Kershaw answered without even a hint of hesitation. “He’s the best player in the game today.”

What makes Kershaw’s answer somewhat surprising is, of course, the fact that the two future Hall of Famers aren’t even in the same league and haven’t been during their 12 and nine years in the majors respectively. In other words, Kershaw only faces the 28-year-old Vineland, NJ native and Angels first-round draft pick in 2009 out of Millville HighSchool in Millville, NJ during Southern California’s annual (and extremely popular) interleague Freeway Series and in the seven All-Star Games in which both have appeared together.

Ironically, in those annual interleague Freeway Series games (not counting Spring Training), Trout has faced Kershaw only 16 times, going 2-for-13 with one double, three walks, and four strikeouts for an un-Trout-like slash line of .154 / .313 / .231 / .543. But make no mistake about it, despite these low numbers, Kershaw is fully aware of just how lucky he has been against the very best of the very best.

“I love watching him play, he plays the game the right way,” Kershaw said of Trout during an interview prior to the 2014 All-Star Game at Citi Field. “And when you think about the best players in the game, that’s what you want to be remembered for.”

That’s some high praise coming from a guy who himself deserves some high praise.

Play Ball!

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