![]() ![]() His preparation for every single start, it's uncanny. You see Hall of Famers, you see the way they go about their business, and you have a mindset of how they are, and then they exceed that. "The person Clayton is, that's what you see every single day. "I think that's what makes it more fun for us as we get older - our kids having so much fun with it," Freeman said. The kids plan to start another season in Toluca Lake together in two months. Kershaw and Freeman have gotten to know each other off the field, in part because their young sons - Charley and Charlie - played baseball together. Kershaw learned he was getting the start when Snitker called Freddie Freeman, who passed the phone to the Dodgers' ace. He still felt he could contribute significantly to a championship run, and he has demonstrated that with his ninth career All-Star nod. In addition, Kershaw said his wife, Ellen, was on board, and the chance for Charley to be around the Dodger clubhouse was an opportunity he didn't want to miss.īut Kershaw didn't want to return to the Dodgers for nostalgic or sentimental reasons. Not a lot of teams can say that year in and year out." Playoffs are an expectation here, and the World Series is almost an expectation. ![]() "We're a part of something special here," Kershaw said after signing. Friedman's wish was granted, with Kershaw returning to the Dodgers on a one-year deal - a strategy the 34-year-old could deploy the rest of his career. The lockout provided him the time and clarity he needed to make his choice.ĭodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said keeping Kershaw was the "No. Kershaw was bound for either Los Angeles, where he spent his entire career, or Texas, where he grew up. The three-time Cy Young Award winner didn't want to make a decision on his next destination until he felt he was 100 percent and could contribute through a full season. He didn't pick up a baseball again until January. 1 injury forced him out for the Dodgers' postseason run. The performance was all the more remarkable considering that the last time he took the mound in a game that counted, he departed after 1⅔ innings with his elbow injured and his future uncertain. The first time came in his regular-season opener April 13, when he struck out 13 batters in Minnesota. Kershaw has taken a perfect game through seven innings twice this season, including in his final start before the break. I think the baseball world should really appreciate what he's been able to accomplish and is still accomplishing." "I think it was the right move," said Justin Verlander, who has started two All-Star Games and was surprised to learn Kershaw hadn't started one before. ![]() Kershaw earned his ninth career All-Star nod after going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 75 strikeouts in 71⅔ innings in the season's first half. The chance to give the future Hall of Famer the opportunity at Dodger Stadium, rewarding his contributions to the game of baseball and the Dodgers, was too great to pass up - not that his statistics are anything to scoff at. Either would have made sense as a starter.īut as Snitker tossed around names of potential starters, Kershaw's "kept coming to the forefront." Gonsolin leads the NL with a 0.84 WHIP and took an 11-0 record into the All-Star break. It'll be fun for me just to experience it."Īlcantara leads the majors with a 1.76 ERA and the NL with 138⅓ innings pitched and two complete games. "To be that important to an organization and do the things he's done, to win a World Series for this team and then be able to start in the All-Star Game, it's another topping on top of the cake he's created here. "That’s what he deserves," said Rangers All-Star Corey Seager, who spent the first seven years of his career with Kershaw in Los Angeles. While he felt there were more deserving options - he listed his teammate Tony Gonsolin, Miami's Sandy Alcantara and Atlanta’s Max Fried among them - many around the league expressed their support for the choice. But as this year's game drew closer, Kershaw realized how much it would mean for him to start his first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. In past All-Star Games, the left-hander was happy to just take part in the festivities. ![]() Kershaw thanked NL manager Brian Snitker for the opportunity. ![]()
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