Playing the world's smallest violin just for you, Clayton Kershaw

The surefire Hall of Famer was butthurt about a Busch Stadium memory replayed.

Over a decade ago, Matt Adams took Clayton Kershaw deep in a pivotal playoff game at Busch Stadium. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace had stymied the St. Louis Cardinals for two hours before the husky first baseman launched a hanging curveball into the right field stands for a 3-2 victory. The Cardinals walked on, and the Dodgers walked out of the playoff picture.

I was standing in the right field terrace reserve nosebleed section when Adam’s took flight. It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard Busch II get, and that’s saying something. Apparently, poor Clayton got a long-term nosebleed from the event. He still thinks about it after all this time.

It was the latest in a series of Matt-related Kershaw baseball killings in a span of a few years. Whether it was Carpenter or Adams, a Matt at the plate wearing a Cardinals uniform must have looked like the kiss of death to Kershaw. The infamous shot of his hung head in the dugout after each brutal gut punch is painted in St. Louis baseball history glory, but it’s not something the Dodgers ace likes to revisit.

On Sunday afternoon, following a defeat behind his start over St. Louis, Kershaw whined to the media about the Adams home run clip being replayed before the first pitch. He called it “bush league” before saying it was no surprise coming from the home team, and then played it off as no big deal.

Sorry, Clayton, but it was a significant enough issue that you felt compelled to speak to the media. If it weren’t a big deal, you would have held your head high after denying St. Louis a series sweep over the criminally stacked Dodgers. Instead, you mentioned the clip. He acted like the team played it in his hotel room, in the shower, and during his breakfast at Starbucks. Kershaw acted like Adams was driving the team bus from the airport to Busch Stadium, recalling the juicy-looking hanger that he crushed into oblivion.

It’s surprising coming from a guy who has carved out a Hall of Fame career. Kershaw could have thrown his final pitch this past weekend, and he will enter Cooperstown on the first ballot. After the World Series title was a fleeting thought for the southpaw, he has two rings today. There’s nothing left for him to do as a Major League pitcher, besides sulking like a neglected high schooler who took a nasty shit at prom.

Every time a player enters a rival stadium, one can expect to see a clip, such as the Kershaw-Adams at-bat, played on a big screen. It doesn’t always happen, but the expectation should be there. That’s the price of doing business as a professional in the big leagues. Your past follows you around in full, warts and all. All the good, bad, and ugly exist in a vacuum for the consumers to pick apart.

Yet, after shutting the Cardinals down for five innings, Kershaw managed to come off as a butthurt component in a celebrated highlight. When asked about it, I would have said the following:

“Well, they didn’t win that year, and I have two since their last title. Oh, and I didn’t see much happening today. I live in the present, ladies and gents.”

Or, take the proud, high road and give a classy answer about the past being precisely what it is: what’s happened before, not necessarily what’s going on at the moment.

So, I play the world’s smallest violin just for you, Clayton Kershaw. Have a lovely summer. Watch out for those hitters in red named Matt.