The LA Angels lineup hammers LA Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in his 2025 debut

It is Rivalry Weekend around Major League Baseball, so the league scheduled the Los Angeles Angels to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the festivities. The rivalry between the Freeway Series members is clearly one-sided -- as the Dodgers probably have a handful of teams they would categorize as more bitter rivals than the lowly Angels given that their organization is miles ahead of the other Los Angeles team with regards to team valuation, on-field accomplishments, facilities, etc.

The Dodgers fans are prone to throw out the "a lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep" quote when Angels fans make comments about their superteam on social media. However, the Halo Faithful can prod the Dodgers fans all they want after what went down on Saturday night in Dodger Stadium against their most beloved player.

Clayton Kershaw took the mound for the first time since August, 2024. The future first ballot Hall of Famer underwent surgeries on both his plantar plate (toe) and meniscus during the offseason in order to get himself back into game-shape so he can continue his storied career. Kershaw needed five rehab starts in the minors before the Dodgers were ready to call him back up. Well, the Angels lineup surely rained on his parade in his 2025 debut.

The Angels lineup hammers Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in his 2025 debut

Kershaw needed 83 pitches to get through four innings pitched. In the first inning, the Dodgers' southpaw allowed a single to Nolan Schanuel before issuing back-to-back walks to Taylor Ward and Jorge Soler. Logan O'Hoppe then singled in two runs before the Angels' new sensation, Matthew Lugo, hit yet another RBI double. Ward cracked his team-leading 11th home run off Kershaw's patented curveball in the third inning, and Zach Neto stayed hot by hitting a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Tonight was just the third game in Kershaw's historic career in which he's pitched at most four innings, allowed at least five hits and five earned runs, while striking out at most two batters and walking at least three. The other two instances occurred during his rookie season in 2008.

One of the more fun aspects of the Angels' offensive breakout against Kershaw was that the lineup was not even fully operational. Yoán Moncada was held out of the lineup yet again with his right thumb irritation/bone bruise, and the Angels have their own future first ballot Hall of Famer in Mike Trout missing games right now.

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