Watch: Kershaw fools everyone with mystery 46-mph pitch

Clayton Kershaw knows how to dial back his velocity when needed.

The three-time Cy Young winner didn't just throw a slow pitch Thursday, though. No, he outright slammed the breaks when he unleashed a 46-mph curveball - or was it an eephus pitch? - to Braves catcher Tyler Flowers that left everyone scratching their heads.

After the game, Kershaw explained the mysterious pitch as his attempt to not cross up his catcher.

"Tyler was taking a little bit of time, so I was going to quick-pitch him," Kershaw told Sportsnet Los Angeles' Alanna Rizzo, as transcribed by Dodgers Insider.

"I was just gonna throw a fastball, and I didn't want to cross A.J. (Ellis) up if he took it, and then I didn't want to throw a fastball down the middle, so I was just like, 'All right, he won,' and just kind of lobbed it up there."

Whatever the pitch was, it clearly served its purpose. Kershaw didn't throw another ball to Flowers in the at-bat, and eventually got him to chase a much more conventional 73-mph curve for strike three.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)