Oct 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts after giving up a home run during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game three of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Brian Anderson’s call of Clayton Kershaw’s disastrous eighth inning on Wednesday night didn’t sit well with Phillies fans.

The TBS play-by-play announcer spent much of the inning reflecting on Kershaw’s legacy while Philadelphia pounded the future Hall of Famer for five runs in an 8-2 Game 3 win that saved its season.

What Anderson was calling was essentially a conceded loss. For better or worse, Dave Roberts has made a habit of sacrificing non-elimination games to keep his bullpen fresh, a strategy that drew praise from Fox’s Ken Rosenthal during last year’s NLCS for showing “incredible discipline.”

Up 2-0 in the series, Roberts sent Kershaw back out for a second inning, knowing the 37-year-old didn’t have it, letting him absorb the damage while saving his best arms for Game 4.

The 37-year-old Kershaw finished his final season with an 11-2 record and a 3.36 ERA across 23 starts after returning from offseason surgery. He got a proper sendoff during his final home start at Dodger Stadium against the Giants on Sept. 19, though that game was only available on Apple TV+. His final regular-season start came on Sept. 28 in Seattle, where he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings.

For all intents and purposes — even if the Dodgers win the series — Wednesday’s appearance could be his last time pitching at Dodger Stadium, and Anderson handled it accordingly.

“One of the benefits of having a 2-0 lead in a series, Dave Roberts is going to let it ride,” Anderson said as Kershaw returned for the eighth inning after a shaky seventh.

Letting it ride meant serving up a leadoff homer to J.T. Realmuto. Then a walk and an error loaded the bases before Trea Turner’s two-run single made it 6-1. Kyle Schwarber capped the damage with a two-run homer —his second of the night after a 455-foot blast earlier in the game — to push the score to 8-1.

Through it all, Anderson stayed focused on Kershaw’s career rather than Philadelphia’s offensive explosion.

“It’s tough to watch Clayton Kershaw struggle like this, as great as his career has been,” Anderson continued. “The Phillies are pouring it on in this eighth inning. Right now, nobody warming in the Dodgers’ bullpen… You know Clayton Kershaw is trying to tough this one out, pick up as many outs as he can for his team. Zero blemishes on his career, based on anything that happens this postseason, but it’s tough to watch if you’re a Dodger fan, knowing what Kershaw has meant to this organization and meant to this game. Dave Roberts is letting him ride here.”

Kershaw allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks across two innings.

“Kershaw made it to the big leagues at age 20,” Anderson added. “He’s one of the game’s most dominant pitchers for a long, long time.”

Roberts revealed after the game that closer Tanner Scott was unavailable due to a personal matter, leaving the manager short-handed in the bullpen. With lefties Anthony Banda and Jack Dreyer already used and the Dodgers not wanting to deploy converted starters Roki Sasaki or Emmet Sheehan with a Game 4 the next day, Kershaw wore it.

Anderson’s call reflected that reality, but Phillies fans watching the broadcast weren’t having it. The criticism focused on Anderson spending more time eulogizing Kershaw’s career than acknowledging that Philadelphia was winning an elimination game.

Anderson built his reputation as one of baseball’s best play-by-play voices through nine years calling the MLB postseason for TBS. He re-signed with TNT Sports last October on a multi-year deal that extends his tenure past 20 years with the network. His work during the regular season with the Brewers and his national assignments typically draws praise.

But Wednesday night was different.

The Dodgers lead the series 2-1 heading into Thursday’s Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw’s postseason ERA now sits at 4.75. Whether Wednesday was his final inning at home or his last appearance in a Dodgers uniform depends on how the rest of this series plays out.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann