Clayton Kershaw busts out the hammer vs James Shields (Video)

By Will Osgood | Apr 6, 2015

Sep 24, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers defeated the Giants 9-1 to clinch the NL West Division Championship. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Clayton Kershaw played dirty against fellow pitcher James Shields on Monday afternoon.

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Off the field, Clayton Kershaw is one of the best people in baseball. On it, he is a mean, nasty competitive son of a gun with seemingly no compassion.

Certainly he lacked compassion for fellow pitcher James Shields on Monday, making his first start as a National League pitcher after spending the first nine years of his big league career as a starter in the American League. Kershaw broke out his nasty hook against the unassuming Shields.

Could've just went with the fastball ... #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/CRfeTwvRoz
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 6, 2015

Shields entered Monday’s contest with just 50 plate appearances in his Major League career. He did, though, have a .213 batting average–not bad for an American League pitcher.

Still, Shields was not in any way prepared for what Kershaw–the NL Cy Young and MVP winner–was about to do to him when he stepped up to the plate in the top of the third inning Monday.

Anyone not named Kershaw cannot help but empathize with Shields, who simply walked away with a wry smile as he walked back to the first base dugout at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw, though, was beaten pretty bad by former teammate Matt Kemp, who is being paid by the Los Angeles Dodgers this season to compete against them and drove in three runs in the game’s first few innings for the San Diego Padres.

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