Los Angeles Dodgers lefty legend and future Corridor of Famer Clayton Kershaw on Friday made what is perhaps his last look earlier than the Dodger Stadium crowd, carrying his workforce to a win and its thirteenth straight playoff berth.
Earlier within the week, the 37-year-old Kershaw introduced his intention to retire following the 2025 season – his 18th big-league marketing campaign, all of which have include the Dodgers. Whereas Kershaw figures to be part of the Dodgers’ postseason pitching plans, his precise position is unsure proper now.
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Even when that position is as a member of the playoff rotation, there is no assure he’ll take the mound in Dodger Stadium throughout October. That is why his begin in opposition to the rival San Francisco Giants on Friday served as a farewell alternative for the Dodger devoted at Chavez Ravine.
Here is the grand entrance:
Kershaw within the eventual 6-3 Dodgers win produced the next line:
Of his 91 pitches, 56 went for strikes. He earned a no determination. Kershaw’s ERA for the season now stands at 3.55. For his profession, Kershaw has now made 63 appearances and 61 begins versus the Giants, simply his most in opposition to any workforce. Over these many confrontations, he is gone 27-16 in opposition to the Giants and pitched to a 2.10 ERA. Of his 3,045 profession strikeouts, 421 have come in opposition to the Giants. The final of these was a known as strike three in opposition to Rafael Devers that ended Kershaw’s evening:
And now this is Kershaw strolling off the the Dodger Stadium mound for maybe the ultimate time after the 450th begin of his profession:
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On the time of Kershaw’s exit, the Dodgers trailed 2-1. Within the house half of the fifth, although, the hosts took cost. The massive blow got here on a three-run, opposite-field house run by Shohei Ohtani — his 52nd house run of the season — and Mookie Betts went deep quickly thereafter to present the Dodgers a 5-2 lead.
That win makes the Dodgers grew to become the fourth MLB workforce to clinch a postseason berth; the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs had already every punched their tickets to October. In consequence, greater than half of the Nationwide League’s playoff bracket is already in place.
As famous, although, the fond farewells do not imply the season is over for the Dodgers or for Kershaw. The defending World Collection champs are nonetheless making an attempt to wrap up one more Nationwide League West title. Friday’s final result pushes them to 87-67 on the season, they usually lead the Padres by 4 video games within the division.
Ought to the Dodgers prevail in holding off the Padres, it should characterize their twelfth division title within the final 13 years. The lone exception got here again in 2021, once they received 106 video games however completed second to the San Francisco Giants.
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The Dodgers have weathered a slew of accidents, significantly to their pitching employees. Solely two of Los Angeles’ arms have made even 20 begins this season, and 17 complete pitchers have obtained at the least one beginning project. General, the Dodgers have turned to 39 pitchers this 12 months, placing them one away from matching final 12 months’s mark and the franchise’s single-season file.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers persevered thanks largely to a different MVP-caliber season from two-way celebrity Shohei Ohtani. Three different Dodgers gamers cleared the four-win mark, in keeping with Baseball Reference’s estimates: shortstop Mookie Betts, who recovered after an early season stoop attributable to an sickness; catcher Will Smith; and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
As for the Giants, they nonetheless harbor slim hopes of catching the Mets for the third and last wild card spot within the NL. Friday’s loss drops them to 76-78. They’re 4 video games out of playoff place and behind the Mets, Reds, and Diamondbacks in that queue. The Dodgers and Giants will play the second sport of the three-game weekend collection on Saturday.
