It was the showdown that everybody in the baseball world was looking forward to seeing. With the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels facing off as part of their now-annual “natural rivalry” series, we all got to witness ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw against stud outfielder Mike Trout.
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In the first match-up of the night, Trout sent a sharp shot to the left side of the infield. Juan Uribe made a great diving stop, but Trout was still able to beat it out for the infield hit. That is because of Trout’s great speed, or to hear Vin Scully tell it, because Trout “has wings on his feet.”
In the second showdown between a potentially generational pitcher and hitter, Trout came out on the right side of things with more authority. Presumably Kershaw knew that anything down in the strike zone was asking for trouble, but his pitch went there anyway and Trout sent it into the left field corner for a double.
To even things out a bit, Kershaw was able to strike out Trout looking in their third and final confrontation of the night. He did so with a pitch that only a Cy Young award winner can throw and get the call from the home plate umpire. It’s only fair, after all.
As you might expect when greatness faces off against greatness, both Trout and Kershaw bested the other at one point over the course of three at-bats.