Kershaw freezes out Trout in historic MVP matchup (VIDEO)

Never before had reigning league MVPs ever faced each other during the regular season. And this matchup had to have a winner. So score it Clayton Kershaw 1, Mike Trout 0.

VIDEO: Clayton Kershaw FREEZES Mike Trout in round 1 of MVP vs. MVP. http://t.co/zWD3bQi94y pic.twitter.com/mCrWEvOwtI

— theScore (@theScore) August 1, 2015

At Dodger Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Dodgers and Angels played a big game between the two playoff contenders, but the real subplot, not surprisingly, was the face-to-face between Kershaw and Trout.

And Kershaw retired Trout three times, striking him out once, like this, in the first inning:

Round 1 goes to the Southpaw. https://t.co/aKFld39Vdh #MVPvsMVP

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2015

But not so fast claimed Angels fans after they saw this strange looking graphic. According to this Twitter post, Kershaw was about 1.1 inches out of the strike zone.

Call helps #Dodgers Strike 3 should be ball 2 Top 1 Kershaw vs Trout 28% call same 1.1in from edge pic.twitter.com/sfuVnfmACJ

— Dodgers Strike Zone (@DodgersUmp) August 1, 2015

Kershaw won the battle and the war, throwing eight two-hit innings, as the Dodgers beat the Angels 3-1. But maybe Trout will get a shot at redemption in a Freeway World Series?