"On the final day of the 2008 regular season, a 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw jogged in from the bullpen at AT&T Park to pitch the bottom of the sixth. Despite two hits and an intentional walk, the left-handed rookie with the high-90s heater and knee-buckling curveball tossed a scoreless inning. In the ensuing years, the Giants became all too familiar with Kershaw's propensity for putting up zeros."
"Kershaw will make the final regular-season start of his Hall of Fame career on Friday evening at Dodger Stadium, and appropriately enough, that outing will be against the Giants. He's faced them more than any other opponent (62 games, 60 starts), and he's had success against them more than any other opponent (2.08 ERA, 415 strikeouts). The two parties have had their share of battles over the last 18 seasons."
"In the bottom of the fifth, Tim Lincecum inadvertently hit Matt Kemp. Despite the unintentional nature of the plunking, both benches were warmed when Kemp began veering towards the mound after being hit. Two innings later, Kershaw hit Aaron Rowand - a beaning that was deemed intentional. Kershaw, as well as manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer, were ejected from the ballgame."
Clayton Kershaw debuted as a 20-year-old rookie on the final day of the 2008 regular season, pitching a scoreless inning at AT&T Park despite two hits and an intentional walk. He faced the San Francisco Giants more than any other opponent (62 games, 60 starts) and posted a 2.08 ERA with 415 strikeouts against them. Kershaw's matchups with the Giants featured heated moments and on-field altercations, including being involved in a beaning that led to ejections and a subsequent five-game suspension. The rivalry included games decided by late-inning bullpen miscues and dramatic turnarounds.
Read at The Mercury News
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