- Kershaw disagrees with Dodgers’ decision to reinstate gay ‘nun’ group for Pride Night award The Associated Press
- Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw disagreed with organization’s decision to honor Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Fox News
- Clayton Kershaw details objections to Dodgers’ plan to honor controversial LGBTQ group ABC7
- Clayton Kershaw explains objections to Dodgers’ plan to honor Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence group for LGBTQ Pride Night KABC-TV
- What Were the L.A. Dodgers Thinking? – WSJ The Wall Street Journal
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers agree to deal
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers wasted no time as the likely Hall of Famer will return for a 16th season as the two sides are closing in on a one-year deal, sources told MLB.com on Thursday.
The terms of the deal are still being discussed. The club has not confirmed the move.
The Dodgers didn’t extend Kershaw a qualifying offer before Thursday’s deadline, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it clear that bringing the left-hander back was “a priority” for the team this offseason. A few hours into free agency, Kershaw’s free agency came to an end.
“Things just feel more right in the world when Kershaw is wearing a Dodgers uniform,” Friedman said during the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas. “That’s just how it lands with us, but we couldn’t respect more him and Ellen going through this process.”
Last winter, Kershaw’s future was much more uncertain. Kershaw didn’t pick up a baseball until January after ending the season on the injured list with a forearm injury. His three options were to play for the Dodgers, join the Rangers in order to stay close to his family or retire in the event his forearm didn’t heal as well as he hoped.
Before the end of the 2022 season, Kershaw confirmed he wanted to play at least another season. He’s going to sign one-year deals for the rest of his career, keeping his options open. There was a chance he could sign with the Rangers, but with the way the Dodgers played during the regular season, Kershaw wanted to return.
The Dodgers didn’t offer Kershaw a qualifying offer because they didn’t want to rush his decision. But Kershaw was ready to be back with the Dodgers, the only place he’s known as a big leaguer. Once Kershaw takes the mound next season, he’ll become the second Dodger to pitch 16 seasons with the organization, joining Hall of Famer Don Sutton, who also played parts of 16 seasons in LA.
Kershaw was one of the most effective pitchers in the National League last season, going 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA over 22 starts. He made his ninth All-Star team and started the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career at Dodger Stadium. The left-hander missed two months due to a pair of back injuries, something Kershaw will have to monitor for the rest of his career.
Adding Kershaw this early in the offseason gives the Dodgers more clearance on what their starting pitching situation will look like next season. Julio Urías, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are the other three starters in the rotation. Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller will all serve as depth options.
Friedman said adding starting pitching was “very” high on the agenda. They acted quickly and Kershaw stays home for at least one more season.
Dodgers Close To Re-Signing Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers are nearing an agreement on a one-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Earlier today, the Dodgers decided against issuing Kershaw a qualifying offer, but it’ll be a moot point anyway now, with the 34-year-old set to return to LA for a 16th season. Mike DiGiovanna adds that the deal will be “close” to the $17MM deal Kershaw signed last winter.
While his days of utter dominance may be behind him, Kershaw turned in another elite season in 2022, throwing 126 1/3 innings of 2.28 ERA ball. For the second-straight season, injuries limited Kershaw to 22 starts, and he made two separate trips to the IL this season with lower back problems. When healthy though, he was very effective posting a 27.8% strikeout rate alongside his usual immaculate walk rates. While his fastball velocity is down considerably since his prime, Kershaw has shown his incredible skill to be able to alter his usage and lean more heavily on his slider to maintain his highly successful numbers as he’s aged.
It’s hard to imagine Kershaw in any other uniform but Dodger blue, and while there’s often been reports of possibly looking to return to his hometown of Dallas and sign for the Rangers, it’s no real surprise to see him staying in LA. By doing so he’ll move closer to ticking off more milestones along his Hall of Fame career. His 12 pitching wins in 2022 take him to 197 in his career, so he’ll certainly notch up win number 200 next season. While pitching wins are largely irrelevant when assessing a player’s ability, it is a notable milestone and one to take a tremendous amount of pride in, and Kershaw will be just the fourth active pitcher to reach 200 behind Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Max Scherzer. He’s also 193 strikeouts shy of 3,000. That mark is less likely to be reached in 2023, given Kershaw hasn’t reached 190 in a season since posting 202 in 2017.
The milestones are just reward for a player who has been a mainstay atop some dominant Dodger rotations decade or so. Drafted seventh overall out of high school in 2006, Kershaw would make his Dodgers debut as a 20-year-old in 2008. Just a year later Kershaw would begin a staggering run of dominance in which he’d post ten-straight seasons with a sub-3 ERA. In fact, his rookie year was the only year he posted an ERA over four, and there were only two other seasons where it was over three. It was between 2011-17 that Kershaw was at his absolute best though. During that period he won three Cy Young awards (and never finished outside the top-five), one MVP, led the league in ERA in five times, and posted one 300 strikeout campaign.
The rotation was set to be an area of focus for the Dodgers this winter as Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Kershaw all headed for free agency, with Anderson the only one to receive a qualifying offer. Kershaw will slot back in alongside Walker Buelher, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin to form the core of a very strong rotation. Dustin May, Ryan Pepiot and Mitchell White are all internal candidates to fill out the rotation, but it’s more likely the Dodgers seek another arm to solidify the backend. That decision may well be made for them in fact, as there’s at least a decent chance that Anderson opts to accept the qualifying offer and return to the Dodgers on a one year, $19.65MM deal.
More to come.
Dodgers Place Clayton Kershaw On Injured List, Reinstate Chris Taylor
The Dodgers announced they’ve placed Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day injured list, citing low back pain. Utilityman Chris Taylor is back from his own IL stint to take the vacated active roster spot. Los Angeles also recalled reliever Reyes Moronta from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned outfielder James Outman.
Kershaw lands on the IL for the second time this season. He lost around a month between early May and June with inflammation in his right hip area. The future Hall of Famer returned and went on to make ten more starts before yesterday’s outing. After throwing four innings of two-run ball in an eventual win over the Giants, Kershaw went out to the mound for his warm-up tosses to start the fifth. He pulled himself from the game after experiencing some pain in his lower back, and that issue will apparently keep him out of action for at least the next few weeks.
The team hasn’t provided a timetable on Kershaw’s return, and the announced diagnosis of “low back pain” remains nebulous. They’ll surely be cautious with the 34-year-old, particularly since he’s landed on the injured list at least once in each season since 2016. That included stints for back issues every year between 2016-18. With a 12 1/2 game lead over the Padres in the NL West, the Dodgers can feel comfortable playing things slowly with key players for the final couple months.
While Kershaw no longer takes on the kind of workloads he did during his prime, he’s still among the sport’s best pitchers on a rate basis. Through 85 1/3 innings this season, the three-time Cy Young winner carries a 2.64 ERA with an above-average 26.2% strikeout rate and 48.5% ground-ball percentage. Kershaw’s fastball is sitting in the 90 MPH range, but he owns arguably the game’s best command and hasn’t walked more than 6% of batters faced in a season for a decade.
Kershaw’s trip to the IL leaves Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney as the rotation’s top four for the time being. Ryan Pepiot and Michael Grove are depth options at Triple-A, and the club seems likely to welcome hard-throwing righty Dustin May back in the not too distant future. Manager Dave Roberts told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this afternoon that May is likely to return by the club’s August 19-21 series against the Marlins (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has been out all season recovering from May 2021 Tommy John surgery, but he’s been on a rehab stint since mid-July. Roberts indicated he’s likely to make two more starts in Oklahoma City before returning to the big league club, although he left open the possibility May rejoins the MLB team after just one more Triple-A appearance.
Taylor makes his return to the starting lineup, exactly a month after fracturing his left foot. It’s a quick bounceback for an injury of that magnitude, and Roberts suggested he’ll get the nod at second base tonight. It’ll be Taylor’s first infield appearance of the season, as he’s worked exclusively on the grass this year. Taylor has logged 502 innings in left field, along with 57 and 56 frames in center and right, respectively.
Of course, Taylor made a name for himself with his defensive flexibility in previous seasons. He’s capable of playing virtually everywhere on the diamond other than catcher, and it seems the club is content to get him back onto the infield on occasion. Gavin Lux and Trea Turner make for an excellent middle infield duo, with Max Muncy playing primarily third base as Justin Turner landed on the IL on Tuesday. Taylor will presumably spend the bulk of his time in the outfield still, but the ability to log some action on the dirt will allow Roberts more flexibility in managing infield reps. The 31-year-old will try to get going offensively after his month away, as he carries a .238/.319/.409 line with a huge 35.4% strikeout rate across 285 plate appearances on the year.
Clayton Kershaw leaves with injury vs. Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw exited with low back pain before the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Giants at Oracle Park.
As he warmed up to pitch the fifth, Kershaw appeared to tweak something in his penultimate warmup throw. He then tried to throw one more in order to test it, but motioned over to the Dodgers dugout right away. He left the game with trainer Thomas Albert.
Immediately, Kershaw appeared to tell manager Dave Roberts that the injury was related to his back. The future Hall of Famer has dealt with back problems throughout the latter part of his career, landing on the injured list with a back injury in five of his last seven seasons.
This season, Kershaw missed a month with right SI joint inflammation, which occurred during a cross-country flight. When healthy, Kershaw has been one of the Dodgers’ best pitchers, posting a 2.64 ERA over 15 starts.
Boy Approaches Clayton Kershaw At Press Conference To Honor Grandpa – Deadline
“Baseball is a game for fathers and sons,” someone once said.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw learned that again tonight when he rose to leave his All-Star Game press conference and a member of the media told him, “Clayton, I think there’s a kid who’s trying to ask you [something].”
“Oh, dude, sorry,” Kershaw said as 10-year-old Blake Grice approached him. “Whatcha got?”
Grice, who according to Fox11’s Geraud Moncuré, got into the press conference because he “has a media Instragram,” approached the Dodgers legend and told him a story about his grandfather, Graham, who died from brain cancer seven years ago.
In front of the assembled media, Grice told Kershaw that when his grandpa was sick, he made a bucket list with his two grandchildren of everything they were going to do together once he beat cancer: go to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, meet Vin Scully.
It also included meeting Kershaw. But a week after they wrote the list out, Graham passed away. Since then, Grice told Kershaw, he his family have tried to do everything on the list.
“My grandpa loved you,” Blake told Kershaw as he fought back tears. “He watched the 1988 [World] Series and he wanted to meet you and Vin Scully one day. So this moment is important to me because I’m meeting you for him.”
At that point Kershaw — who has four children, three of them boys — came out from behind the podium and said, “Come here, dude, great to meet you,” giving Grice a hug as he did so. “Thanks for telling me. That took a lot of courage to tell me that. Great to meet you. Your granddad sounded like an awesome guy. Thanks for coming up.”
After they talked for a bit and took a picture, Grice gave Kershaw a big hug and then ran back to his father, who was waiting for him in the back of the room.
Watch it below.
Clayton Kershaw thought his press conference was over when he was surprised by a 10-year-old.
The child’s grandfather made a bucket list. On that list: meet Clayton Kershaw. That never happened. He died of cancer. But today Blake Grice met Kershaw. He feels his pappy with him. pic.twitter.com/K5KGcd5ozO
— Steve Saldivar (@stevesaldivar) July 20, 2022
2022 MLB All-Star Game starting lineups: Clayton Kershaw gets Dodger Stadium nod vs. AL’s Shane McClanahan
The 2022 MLB All-Star Game is set for Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. It is the 92nd edition of the Midsummer Classic and the American League is riding an eight-game winning streak. They’ve won the 20 of the last 24 All-Star Games, though the AL’s lead in the all-time series is a modest 46-43-2. Lately though, the All-Star Game has been one-sided.
Monday afternoon the two All-Star managers — Dusty Baker of the Astros and Brian Snitker of the defending World Series champion Braves — announced each squad’s starting lineup and starting pitcher. Here is the starting lineup for the AL team, which will be the home team despite the game being played in an NL ballpark:
- DH Shohei Ohtani, Angels
- RF Aaron Judge, Yankees
- 3B Rafael Devers, Red Sox
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- LF Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
- CF Byron Buxton, Twins (replacing the injured Mike Trout)
- SS Tim Anderson, White Sox
- 2B Andrês Gimênez, Guardians (replacing the injured Jose Altuve)
- C Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays
SP Shane McClanahan, Rays
McClanahan, our unanimous midseason AL CY Young winner, gets the starting nod over Ohtani. Ohtani has never pitched out of the bullpen in his MLB career and it is unknown whether he will pitch in the All-Star Game. As a reminder, fans vote for the All-Star Game starting position players. The starting pitcher is selected by the manager. Now here is the NL’s starting lineup:
- RF Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
- CF Mookie Betts, Dodgers
- 3B Manny Machado, Padres
- 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
- SS Trea Turner, Dodgers
- C Willson Contreras, Cubs
- DH William Contreras, Braves (replacing the injured Bryce Harper)
- LF Joc Pederson, Giants
- 2B Jeff McNeil, Mets (replacing the injured Jazz Chisholm)
SP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
A Dodgers legend gets the ball at the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. How cool is that? Kershaw is the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game at his home stadium since Max Scherzer started at Nationals Park in 2018. Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara and Kershaw’s teammate Tony Gonsolin would have been worthy All-Star Game starters as well, but Snitker couldn’t pass up Kershaw in L.A. Hard to think of better baseball theater.
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Clayton Kershaw flirts with perfect game against Angels
ANAHEIM — Before the opener of the Freeway Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked that he was hoping to get a call on Friday from Braves manager Brian Snitker, letting him know that Clayton Kershaw was going to be the starter for the National League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Kershaw, of course, has never started a Midsummer Classic. It’s one of the few things missing in his illustrious career. By the end of the night, though, Kershaw had the 44,648 people in attendance at Angel Stadium believing he was going to accomplish another first.
Kershaw flirted with a perfect game for the second time this season, but his bid at another historic milestone fell six outs short on a Luis Rengifo leadoff double in the eighth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-1 win over the Angels on Friday.
It was the second time this season Kershaw completed seven perfect innings. The last one came in his first start of the season against the Twins when he wasn’t fully built up. Kershaw became the only pitcher in the last 40 years to have a perfect game through at least seven innings twice in the same season.
Kershaw was as efficient as he was all season on Friday, needing just 59 pitches to get through six innings. Only Brandon Marsh managed to get into a three-ball count, but Kershaw ultimately won the battle with a strikeout to end the third.
In the seventh, Kershaw got the crowd on its feet by striking out reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani swinging on his signature curveball. With every out, the buzz around the ballpark grew. As they usually do, Dodger fans were well represented in Anaheim.
At one point, however, even the Angels fans realized they were witnessing one of the best pitchers of all time trying to accomplish something only 23 other Major Leaguers have done. Kershaw just fell a little short.
Health Notes: Kershaw, Lewis, Barnes
Clayton Kershaw threw a 30-35 pitch bullpen session this afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). It marked the star southpaw’s second bullpen work of the week, as he also tossed 35 pitches on Memorial Day. The team will monitor how Kershaw feels over the coming days, but it’s possible he heads out on a minor league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
Kershaw has been on the injured list since May 13 after experiencing some inflammation in the SI joint of his right hip area. The team initially expressed hope he’d be back after a minimal 15-day stint, although that proved untenable once the three-time Cy Young award winner experienced continued soreness. Now that he’s back on a mound and potentially nearing a rehab assignment, however, it seems as if he could be back at Dodger Stadium by the middle of the month. Before the injury, Kershaw had been characteristically excellent, posting a 1.80 ERA through five starts.
Some more health situations of note:
- The Mariners placed outfielder Kyle Lewis on the seven-day concussion injured list, retroactive to May 29, before tonight’s game against the Orioles. There’s no indication the 26-year-old is in for a long-term absence, but it’s another health setback for a player who has dealt with more than his fair share of injuries. Lewis’ previous issues have typically been related to his right knee, and he only made his season debut on May 24 after he missed the final few months of last season due to a meniscus tear and a bone bruise in the joint. To take Lewis’ spot on the active roster, infielder Abraham Toro is back from the 10-day IL. The switch-hitting Toro is off to a disappointing .179/.237/.366 start through 135 plate appearances. He missed the minimal amount of time on the shelf recovering from a left shoulder sprain.
- The Red Sox placed reliever Matt Barnes on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 31, before this evening’s contest with the Reds. He’s dealing with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. It’ll be a reset opportunity for Barnes, whose struggles down the stretch last season have carried over into this year. Through 20 games, the right-hander has a 7.94 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. That’s on the heels of a 6.48 ERA in the second half of 2021, an out-of-the-blue downturn for a pitcher who earned a deserved All-Star nod during a dominant first-half performance. Barnes signed a two-year, $18.75MM extension last July — a deal that looked team-friendly at the time but has gone immediately haywire. To take Barnes’ spot on the roster, fellow reliever Matt Strahm has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list following a two-day absence.
Clayton Kershaw ‘will always have a spot’ with Los Angeles Dodgers, Andrew Friedman says
CARLSBAD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision not to tender a qualifying offer to Clayton Kershaw is not an indication that the team is predisposed to letting him leave.
Quite the opposite, it seems.
“We’ve made it very clear that if Kershaw wants to come back, he will always have a spot,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Tuesday from the site of the general managers meetings.
The Dodgers extended qualifying offers to shortstop Corey Seager and utility man Chris Taylor on Sunday, a method that rewards teams with draft-pick compensation if those players sign elsewhere. Players have until the middle of next week to decide whether to accept the offer, which will pay them $18.4 million for the 2022 season, or reject it. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who is arguably the greatest player in Dodgers history, didn’t receive one, largely because of the uncertainty surrounding the health of his left arm.
Kershaw, 33, missed more than two months with elbow/forearm inflammation that popped up around the All-Star break. He returned in the middle of September, but exited his Oct. 1 start with a recurrence of the same issue and was unavailable throughout the postseason. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said then that Kershaw’s ulnar collateral ligament is structurally sound and that he does not require Tommy John surgery, but it seems as though there is still a fear that he could be dealing with a long-term injury.
“I know he wants to take a little time with Ellen [his wife] to figure out what’s best for them, and also more importantly get to a point where he feels good health-wise,” Friedman said. “We have no reason to believe that he won’t. But in his mind, he wants to get to that point, where he feels good from a health standpoint, and go from there. This [the qualifying offer] would have accelerated the timeline in a way that he wasn’t ready for, and I think just from our respect for him, and what he’s done for this organization, that wasn’t something that we wanted to do and put him on that kind of clock when he wasn’t ready for it.”
The Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $8.5 million contract with another left-handed starter, Andrew Heaney, over the weekend, adding him to a 2022 rotation that is currently fronted by Walker Buehler and Julio Urias. Tony Gonsolin and David Price also could be part of the mix, but the Dodgers will express heavy interest in bringing back Max Scherzer and might be in play for other big names in free agency. Trevor Bauer, who remains under criminal investigation over sexual assault allegations, is not expected to return to the team, regardless of the length of a potential suspension by Major League Baseball, though the Dodgers have yet to comment on the matter publicly.
Friedman expressed enthusiasm about the emerging crop of young starting pitchers at the organization’s minor league levels and said his goal in filling out the 2022 rotation is to “bridge the short term, not lock up pitching spots looking out and preventing opportunities.”
Kershaw, who would probably prefer a short-term deal, perfectly fits that strategy — if he’s healthy, if he wants to keep pitching and if his hometown Texas Rangers don’t ultimately sway him.
“We’ve been very outspoken that we really want Kersh to come back,” Friedman said. “Not only what he’s meant to us looking back, but also what we think he will mean for us looking forward. That being said — just like every free agent, but Kersh even a little bit more so — he has earned the right to be in this position and figure out what’s best for him and his family. So there’s like a personal and a professional tug of war for me. Professionally I really hope he’s back, personally I want them to do what makes the most sense for their family, and we’ll figure out what that means.”