LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw's eight-inning, six-strikeout performance against the Angels on Friday was imperfect, but it was perfect in its excellence and efficiency and the enthralling drama he created on a warm summer night that was made for baseball and generous dashes of the improbable.
With more than a little defensive help from his friends, he kept the Angels off the bases through seven innings, setting a Dodgers-leaning crowd at Angel Stadium abuzz by striking out Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward to end the seventh.
"After the third or fourth incredible play, I thought it was going to happen," catcher Austin Barnes said of a perfect game. "He wanted it. We all wanted it. Especially the defense was playing so well behind him. You don't get many chances at that. He threw the ball really special today."
