Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw wasn't bothered by the San Diego Padres making him the butt of a joke following a bad outing on Friday.
"I don't think I'm going to take the bait on this one," Kershaw said after learning the Padres scoreboard flashed a crying meme of him, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett.
"You don't like it, pitch better. I don't think they do that if we win."
#Padres put a crying Clayton Kershaw photo onto the Jumbotron after the win: pic.twitter.com/2sj8QX1EzF
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) May 6, 2023
Kershaw's worst outing of the season came against the Padres, as the 35-year-old allowed four earned runs on eight hits with five walks in 4 2/3 innings.
The Padres ended up winning 5-2, moving them within one game of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
The Padres and Dodgers have become rivals in recent years, with Los Angeles eliminating San Diego from the postseason during a NLDS sweep in 2020. The Padres ousted the Dodgers from the playoffs last season.
Earlier this year, Padres outfielder Juan Soto talked some smack about the Dodgers, saying they weren't a team to be concerned about and Los Angeles "should be worrying about us."
