Clayton Kershaw still keeps the Dodgers together

ANAHEIM, Calif. — It’s too late, the score is tied, angel are threatening, and the Dodgers – losing three in a row and 18 of their previous 30, unnaturally thwarted by a speed spin and an unreliable barn – need their enduring trump card. them to rescue them again. Clayton Kershaw Focus your thoughts on a simple message.

Next yard. Next yard. Next yard.

Kershaw has built a career in the Hall of Fame, a legacy, beyond ignoring circumstances and pouring all of his energy into the task at hand. Don’t just focus on the “next post,” anything that represents a certain point in time, over and over again. On this Tuesday night, in the seventh inning of a goalless game at Angel Stadium, he put enough of those pitches together to get out of a two-way tie, sending the Dodgers back. his team to another much-needed victory and leave his teammates alone. horror again.

“He just kept doing it year after year,” the first one Freddie Freeman speak. “It was unbelievable. And when we needed him the most, he did it again. He did it for us. Dodgers Los Angeles since 2008, and we need him 15 years later to do it again.”

Perhaps the Dodgers never needed Kershaw more than that. A franchise that boasts MLB’s lowest ERA of the past four years — and offers three of the seven best-adjusted ERA seasons in baseball history during that period — owns an ERA 4.50 despite only allowing runs twice in the last three games, the highest in the Dodgers’ 66-year history in Los Angeles. Their Bullpen has a higher ERA than all but the last three teams; no rotation Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dust of life And Noah Syndergaardwho then threw a 7.16 ERA in 55⅓ plays.

The key high-leverage reducers have struggled and the development of start-up prospects has been taken into account more than expected. Kershaw has acted as one of the few permanents, starting all the time while heading towards his 10th All-Star Game.

“He’s the only one who’s stood since Opening Day,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, referring to a rotation that saw four out of five of the original members make it to the top. injured list. “For him to clearly recognize that but accept the responsibility, but not put extra pressure on himself — it’s a skill that’s certainly been tried and learned. The way he handles things, Man, he’s so consistent. I can’t imagine where we wouldn’t be without him.”

Kershaw’s seven goalless innings against the Angels dropped his ERA to 2.72, with only six qualified pitchers topping. This is the sixth time he has scored 21 goals this season. The rest of the Dodgers employees got together only on three such outings. He is 35 years old, in the midst of his 16th season with a franchise that has been transferred several times since he started, but he is trying to keep a staff that barely clings to him.

“This is what we have to do,” Kershaw said. “This is what I get paid to do is pitch, and pitch every Thursday or Friday or whatever. Years ago I felt like a mistake. This is what it is. considered healthy and threw the ball.”

It’s been eight years since Kershaw made at least 30 starts and accumulated at least 180 plays in a regular season. Between 2016 and 2022, he made 10 trips to IL, half of which involved his back, and gradually realized changes were needed. To continue, one of the most famous high-intensity, habitual pitchers in recent memory needed to shift and ease his workload between starts. It’s not easy.

“I’m not a passive id,” Kershaw said. “I’m not someone who’s just like, ‘Take a day off.’ I’m not good at that.”

However, over the past few years, Kershaw has begun to throw fewer throws in his bullfights and throw less weights in his training sessions. Under the guidance of the Dodgers’ coaching staff, he’s also focused on creating more range of motion with his hips to relieve pressure on his troubled back. Kershaw said his hips are “better in motion than they’ve been in a long time.”

“When you land, you have to be able to keep the weight on your feet, and when you land, you have to be able to push well,” he explains. “And if you don’t do either of those things well, it’s going to climb up your back. Being able to accept loads on the ground, being able to push well and then being able to reset between starts, can strengthen try it with your exercises — all the things that I’ve probably been stubborn about, like, ‘I wouldn’t change anything.’ And then over time, as you get hurt more, you start to listen more.”

Kershaw’s fast ball speed is averaging 91.2 mph, his highest since 2017 if you ignore the shortened season due to COVID-19 in 2020. However, the increase is up. This is just small. At a time when three-digit radar gun stats were common, Kershaw excelled by mastering the basics, such as taking the lead in numbers (his 68.8% first-hit rate). He’s fifth this season), commanding the glove (right-handed opponent) hitters who only slashed 0.236/.281/.398 against him) and tunneling the sliders and curves his ball to perfection with his quick ball (he scored a league-leading 83 major clears).

Kershaw established himself as the dominant pitcher of his time from 2011 to 2019, during which time he won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP, while amassing 54.7 wins on FanGraphs over substitutes, more than anyone unnamed Mike the salmon. His death has since been greatly exaggerated. Among pitchers who have scored at least 350 plays since 2020, Kershaw is third in ERA (2.75), first in WHIP (0.99) and first in strike ratio with walking (5.95). Bottom line: When he stepped onto the mound, he was still one of the best in the world.

The common question is: When will he give it up for good?

Kershaw signed one-year contracts and pledged to continue working every year for the rest of his career. He hates the attention that comes with it but finds it necessary to re-evaluate every season and consider the opinions of his wife and children. As a result, the 2024 season is not promised, whatever his numbers are at the end of 2023. And as soon as his output starts to decline, Kershaw is adamant that he will walk away.

“Yes,” he said, “I don’t want to be normal.”