Clayton Kershaw Didn't Appreciate Having His Start Delayed

Clayton Kershaw dominated the Rockies last night because he is the best pitcher in the world and striking out 10 guys in seven innings is something he can do while hungover. He’s good enough that a momentary delay at the start of the game shouldn’t bother him too much, and yet such a delay really bothered him last night.

As Kershaw was getting ready face the first batter of the game, the umpire told him to wait while Rockies starter Tyler Anderson, who had thrown a few extra pitches down in the bullpen, made his way into the dugout. The start of the game wasn’t delayed for more than a few moments, but Kershaw was still steamed about it during his postgame press conference:

That was one of the more disrespectful things I’ve been a part of in a game. Really didn’t appreciate that. The game starts at 7:10. It’s started at 7:10 here for a long time. Go around or finish earlier, but that wasn’t appreciated, for sure. I’m not going to say any more or I’ll get in trouble.

For his part, Anderson told reporters that he “didn’t mean any disrespect” and had assumed that the umpire would let Kershaw pitch while he made his way to the dugout through foul territory.

Now that we know it’s possible to cause a delay like this, and that doing so can bother a guy as even-keeled as Kershaw, I really want to see someone try this out on Madison Bumgarner. The ensuing carnage would not be suitable for TV.