In an Arizona Diamondbacks’ clubhouse that had faced so much tension in the heat of an intense playoff race, one thing overshadowed where the team sat in the standings.
The subject that surprisingly brought a smile to everyone’s faces recently also happened to be the person who has been the Diamondbacks’ villain for almost two decades: Clayton Kershaw. Despite their different pitching styles, a grin from ear-to-ear could not escape Diamondbacks relief pitcher Ryan Thompson as he reflected on what Kershaw’s career meant to him.
“He doesn’t throw sidearm enough for me to idolize him.” said a smiling Thompson, reflecting on the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace who is retiring at the conclusion of the postseason. “He’s one of the all-time greats, so any time you share a field with him it’s really special. We all know how great he is but I still think he’s underrated and we don’t give him the credit he deserves.”
Kershaw, 37, will be well-rested should the Dodgers advance to the National League Division Series. LA manager Dave Roberts decided to leave Kershaw off the team’s pitching-heavy roster for the wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds, choosing to go with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani for the best-of-three contest.
In his Dodgers’ postseason debut, Snell dominated the Reds Tuesday, allowing just two runs over seven innings in a 10-5 victory that put LA just one game away from advancing to the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite not having a sweeping sidearm like Thompson, Kershaw, a Dodger from the moment the team drafted him out of high school in 2006, has been one of the most consistent pitchers for his entire career, and one of the best left-handed starters to ever touch a baseball. He was the Achilles’ heel of many teams throughout his career, and the Diamondbacks were no different victims to his dominance.
Nobody knows about this more than Torey Lovullo, the Diamondbacks manager for the past nine seasons. In a quiet moment before his team’s last home game of the season, one the Dodgers would win 8-0 to all but eliminate Arizona from the playoffs, Lovullo managed a chuckle as he noted Kershaw’s departure only leaves a slight hole in the Dodgers’ rotation.
“I’m glad that it is coming to an end because we don’t have to compete against him,” Lovullo said. “I think there’s about four or five guys (on the Dodgers) I’m looking forward to them moving on at some point, but they’re here to stay for the time being.”
Even in his effusive praise of Kershaw, Lovullo was not exactly disappointed to see Kershaw go as a division rival. In 18 seasons competing against the Diamondbacks, Kershaw posted a 22-12 record with a 2.82 ERA and 294 strikeouts in the regular season. The solidity remains through his stats against all NL West opponents.
While not all sunshine and roses in the regular season, Diamondback fans remember most the success the team had against Kershaw in his two playoff appearances, most notably the one in Arizona’s 2023 playoff run that led to a World Series berth.
The one trope that plagued the lefty his entire career was poor playoff performance and clutchness in the biggest moments. And the Diamondbacks two seasons ago took that to the next level. After Kershaw only recorded one out in the first inning of Game 1 of the NL Division Series, the chaos of 2023 unleashed as the snakes unloaded six runs on the veteran for what would be an 11-2 loss, and one of the worst starts of the future Hall of Famer’s career.
That disastrous outing gave Diamondbacks’ fans a reason to hold their heads high.
Still, the preparation for competing against Kershaw was immense. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona’s breakout star shortstop who was on the 2023 team, emphasized Kershaw’s competitiveness while recalling the intense preparation it took to face him, especially as a switch hitter.
“He’s one of the best pitchers to ever pitch in this game. All the best for him and his family, I enjoyed facing him.” Perdomo said. “It was a lot of preparation, going from a 97-mile-per-hour fastball to a big slider and curveball. It was a lot to prepare for (me) mentally and physically.”
Through all the baseball memories and praise for Kershaw as a competitor, a sentiment that stuck out was the Diamondbacks’ admiration for him as a person. During his last appearance in Dodger blue at Chase Field last week, the organization played a video tribute to Kershaw on the jumbotron, prompting loud applause from Arizona fans who appreciated their rival’s legacy.
It is no question why they feel this way. Kershaw is a devoted philanthropist, raising $23 million for his foundation “Kershaw’s Challenge,” an organization that aids families and children in at-risk areas. While baseball has been a platform for him to help others, he built his charity with the notion it will continue to thrive long after his career on the diamond ends.
Kershaw’s reach extends well beyond his Los Angeles community. He is actively involved in making a difference in impoverished areas in Dallas, where he was raised, along with Africa and the Dominican Republic. He and his wife Ellen founded the faith-based organization in 2011, with both saying there is still more work to be done.
As for baseball, Kershaw pitched his last inning of work at Chase Field last Wednesday, emerging in a rare appearance out of the bullpen to mark a scoreless inning in the ninth to push the game into extra innings in aid of a crucial Dodgers’ win. However, as Lovullo said, the sport may miss Kershaw more as an ambassador and inspiration for giving beyond anything else.
“He’s been an unbelievable ambassador for this game.” Lovullo said. “At the end of the day you just wanna make sure that the best players are going out there and competing and setting a standard of excellence.”
I’ll never forget Kershaw MLB debut at Chase Field and beating Randy Johnson on his first outing. Definitely a first round inductee when he’s eligible for the Hall of Fame