I’m writing this because, as a fan, I can’t think of a better baseball player or person than Clayton Kershaw. He is officially retiring. If the Dodgers go deep in the playoffs, he will get another appearance. I don’t think “role model” is fair to throw at anyone, but the one player to me that lived up to that is Kershaw. The guy was never in the news for anything bad and never fought with opposing teams or teammates. This is not a stats post, but I have a few at the bottom, more of a sad goodbye, but I do think it’s the right time. He is going out while still successful. He refuses to just hang on with a high ERA, and I think he has made the right choice.
I first started to follow the Dodgers when I was 10 years old in 1977. I’ve followed a lot of players since then. My all-time favorite player, period (next to Babe Ruth), is Ron Cey. Kershaw would be right up there as well. I think this is the perfect time for him to retire.
He has done so much for the Dodger organization and baseball. Even Giant fans respect the guy, and it’s hard not to. We were lucky as baseball fans to see Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer pitch in the same era. I do kinda wish the other two would retire this year, and they could all go in the Hall of Fame together, but I don’t believe that will happen, as the other two will probably continue. Kershaw got to the point where he saw he was not dominating anymore and left gracefully…even after having a really good year but not a great year.
I remember seeing clips of Clayton Kershaw in his first year, 2008, in Spring Training. He threw a ridiculous curve to Sean Casey that Vin Scully called Public Enemy Number One. He did have a decent year for a rookie, going 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 22 games. Then in 2009, he started his domination and pitched in 30 games with a 2.79 ERA, and it only got better from there. He ended up winning 3 Cy Youngs and an incredibly hard thing to do for a pitcher…the MVP AND Cy Young in 2014.
He turned into the best pitcher in the National League and quite possibly in the entire MLB. The Dodgers at that time had no bullpen to speak of. They worked Kershaw like the town pump, but he kept going. When they did make the playoffs, they would keep him pitching deep into games where he should have been taken out because they didn’t trust the bullpen. On a few occasions, he was hit, but the guy didn’t complain or gripe; he said he stunk and kept going. His teammates say he is one of the most stand-up guys you could meet.
Not only was he one of the best (if not the best) pitchers of his generation, but he seems to be a really nice guy. He and his wife started to go to Africa and build houses and schools for orphans. He gives back to the LA community and to his hometown near Dallas, Texas. He doesn’t use foul language and is always about the team and not himself.
His fastball this year averaged around 89. A big drop from 96-98 he had in his prime, but he got people out. He is a true pitcher. His last regular-season game was on Sunday, and he threw 5.1 shutout innings to get his final win as a Dodger. His record this year is 11-2 with 22 starts, so a great way to end his career. His career record is 223-96. Kershaw has the 4th-best winning percentage of all time. His career ERA of 2.53 is just incredible in the modern era of baseball.
So goodbye, Clayton, you will never be forgotten and will always be mentioned in the same breath as that other left-handed Dodger pitcher…Mr. Koufax
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