After 31 postseason starts, Kershaw ‘more grateful’ than ever
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw finds himself in a well-known spot. For the thirty second time in his profession, he’s being handed the ball for a playoff begin — “a full season now in the postseason,” because the veteran put it.
Kershaw was a 20-year-old rookie when he made his postseason debut, a scoreless 1 2/3-inning aid look in opposition to the Phillies in Game 2 of the 2008 National League Championship Series. At age 35, as he prepares for Game 1 of the NL Division Series tonight vs. the D-backs, he’s not the identical pitcher he was then.
Due to a mix of age and a now-lengthy historical past of accidents — together with a left shoulder difficulty that’s nonetheless lingering — his velocity has diminished, forcing him to adapt his method (to fairly a little bit of success so far).
His psychological perspective has shifted considerably as effectively.
“I think at times maybe in the past, I had a fear of failure and didn’t want to go out there and fail,” mentioned Kershaw. “I think now, it’s just a lot more positive. It’s just, the nerves are from an excitement to get to pitch in the playoffs, to get to be a part of it, to be in this moment that a lot of people in the game don’t get to be in. I think that’s where the nerves come from now. And I think that’s a better place.”
Kershaw has had his well-documented ups and downs in October. Whereas his 2.48 profession regular-season ERA is the most effective amongst all AL/NL pitchers with not less than 1,500 innings pitched within the Live Ball Era (since 1920), he has a 4.22 ERA in 194 postseason innings.
There have been loads of highs, together with the sturdy run he put collectively en path to the 2020 World Series championship, serving to the Dodgers break a 32-year title drought. But it’s the lows from which Kershaw has discovered probably the most.
“I think when you get beat down enough, you start saying, ‘Screw it,’” Kershaw mentioned. “And I think that’s kind of what happened over the years. … You’ve just got to go out there and play and pitch. It doesn’t mean it’s always going to go great. But I think the mindset can definitely help with that. Just comes with experience. And thankfully for me, I’ve gotten to do it a lot and gotten a little bit better at it over the years.”
That expertise has made for fairly a legacy for Kershaw, whose in depth checklist of accolades have him in line for a probable first-ballot Hall of Fame election. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman known as Kershaw “the greatest competitor I’ve ever seen.” Manager Dave Roberts described him as “the pillar of consistency, of compete, of success and professionalism,” and praised the affect he’s had on the workforce’s rookie pitchers by way of the instance he units.
Perhaps most significantly, Kershaw’s presence instills confidence in his teammates.
“When No. 22 is on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, you feel good about it,” mentioned Freddie Freeman.
The query at this level is simply what number of extra occasions we’ll see Kershaw on the mound, in a Dodgers uniform or in any other case. The left-hander isn’t able to share any type of choice about his future, for 2024 or past, however he’s mulled retirement for every of the previous couple of years, giving motive to consider that this postseason might be a final hurrah for him.
If that’s the case, Kershaw is hopeful he can set the tone for a deep run because the Dodgers’ workers ace. But he’s additionally attempting to benefit from the second. After all, being on this place wasn’t a given for him — and he’s not taking it without any consideration.
“I think for the past however many years, to get to be in the postseason, I’ve become more grateful for it,” mentioned Kershaw. “And I feel on the finish of the day, I simply have a look at a number of the issues which have occurred and the issues that I’ve gotten to be part of — and never all has been constructive, clearly, however I would not change it. I’d a lot somewhat fail on the most important of levels than to not get to be right here in any respect.
“It’s a special thing to get to be in the postseason.”
