If you have ever played R.B.I. Baseball on the old Nintendo, then you know exactly how slow your pitches can become just four innings into a game as your pitcher starts to tire. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw may not have been tired in a Thursday afternoon game in Atlanta, but he did toss out a pitch that seemed straight out of the classic baseball video game.
Kershaw tossed a 46-mph eephus pitch against Tyler Flowers for a ball in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 1-1 ballgame. You can almost hear the sound effect of the slow pitch dribbling its way to home plate. In fact, we’re going to need someone to dub some R.B.I. Baseball sound effects over the video of this pitch.
.@ClaytonKersh22 obeys speed limits. #46MPH https://t.co/bJBKkveTEA
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 21, 2016
Don’t expect to see this from Kershaw all that often. Part of the beauty of a pitch like this is taking a batter by surprise, but Flowers didn’t bite.
Clayton Kershaw's 46 mph curveball to Tyler Flowers was 25 mph slower than any other pitch he has thrown in 2016. https://t.co/vfPO6y3uQ0
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 21, 2016
Clayton Kershaw is the first Dodgers pitcher with 10+ hits allowed & 10+ strikeouts since Hideo Nomo on Aug. 1, 1997 https://t.co/BKRNVS3Fcs
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) April 21, 2016
The Braves did rack up 10 hits on Kershaw, but the Dodgers ace went eight innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out 10 batters en route to a 2-1 victory over Atlanta. He did not get credit for the win, which came in extra innings. However, he certainly helped the cause with a double in the seventh inning. Quite a day, Clayton.
[FTW]