NBC Sports has decided that the Padres’ NL Wild Card series could use a little Clayton Kershaw.
That’s the headline, and it’s a strange one on its face. Kershaw spent 18 seasons tormenting San Diego, and now he’s part of the broadcast team for Cubs-Padres.
NBC Sports announced Dave Flemming will handle play-by-play, with Jim Deshaies, Mark Grant and Kershaw joining as analysts. John Fanta will report from the field.
The setup mostly makes sense. Deshaies brings the Cubs angle.
Grant gives Padres viewers a voice they know well. Flemming is a steady national play-by-play presence who can keep things moving.
Then Kershaw enters the booth with all that invisible Dodger baggage attached.
His role is not the main color spot. NBC has him in the specialized “Inside the Pitch” lane, so his time on the broadcast should be limited. That softens the optics a bit, but only a bit.
Kershaw’s credentials are beyond dispute. He’s one of the best pitchers the sport has ever seen, and he’s exactly the kind of guy who can explain the finer points of a pitcher-hitter battle.
He should have real insight. He’ll probably be professional, too.
But he’s also Clayton Kershaw.
And for Padres fans, that matters. The numbers say why: Kershaw went 24-11 with a 2.17 ERA and 320 strikeouts in 48 career appearances against San Diego. For years, he was the Dodgers arm that seemed to make life miserable for the Padres night after night.
That’s why this feels so awkward. The résumé is why NBC wanted him. The uniform history is why San Diego probably didn’t.
Nobody needs to invent some grand conspiracy here. A broadcast assignment alone doesn’t prove bias.
But the tone-deaf part is obvious enough that NBC put it in its own press release whether it meant to or not. National postseason coverage is supposed to explain the game, not feel like a side show for one fan base.
It also creates an avoidable layer of scrutiny. Every kind word about the Cubs will get noticed.
Every critique of a Padres pitcher will sound louder. One Dodgers reference in the wrong moment, and the internet will be off to the races.
That may not be fair to Kershaw, but it is predictable. Rivalries remember everything.
He wasn’t some short-term visitor to Los Angeles. He was the face of the rotation, a future Hall of Famer, and a constant reminder of the gap San Diego spent years trying to close.
So now he’s helping explain the Padres’ October baseball on a national broadcast. Sure. Why not.
He may be excellent at it. His pitching analysis could easily bring something viewers wouldn’t get from a more standard booth.
But Padres fans are entitled to notice the irony. And they’re probably smart to keep the mute button nearby.
NBC Sports’ coverage of the MLB Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie begins Tuesday, Sept. 29 on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.
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