What do you do if you’re an 18-year-old just looking to break into affiliated professional baseball and the other team’s starting pitcher happens to be Clayton Kershaw?
Kershaw, 37, will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one of these days. But right now, he’s attempting to come back for his 18th major league season, all of which have been with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
During his rehab start on Tuesday, Kerhaw faced off against the Cincinnati Reds’ Arizona Complex League affiliate. That’s rookie ball, for those who may not be familiar. And the minor-league rookies had a pretty tough time hitting this major league veteran.
Kershaw threw six innings against the ACL Reds, walking one and striking out four. And most importantly, he didn’t allow a single hit. The Reds eventually ended the combined no-hit bid in the eighth inning.
Obviously, the level of competition wasn’t what Kershaw will be facing once he returns to the Dodgers, but it’s hard to hold any professional team hitless. And more importantly, Kershaw got through six full innings, which MLB.com’s Sonja Chen noted had likely happened in 90 pitches or less.
Kershaw does have one major league no-hitter under his belt, which came back on Jun. 18 of 2014 against the Colorado Rockies.
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This past year has been a trying one for Kershaw, as knee and toe injuries curtailed his 2024 season and set back the start of his 2025 campaign. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he can return is May 17.
The lefty is likely to get at least one more rehab outing before making his season debut. He had previously pitched three other times during the regular season between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa.
Whenever he gets back, the Dodgers could certainly use his help. And if there were any future Hall of Famers in that ACL Reds lineup on Wednesday, they’ll always be able to talk about the time they nearly got no-hit by Clayton Kershaw.
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