Clayton Kershaw won’t take over for the Los Angeles Dodgers once more this yr, no matter how far the workforce will get within the postseason. But he plans to return in 2025 and profit from his surgically repaired shoulder, he stated on the MLB pre-game present on FOX earlier than Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
“Mentally I really feel nice,” Kershaw stated in response to a query from David Ortiz. “I had shoulder surgical procedure final offseason, and the shoulder, the elbow, all the things – my arm feels nice. Obviously, I’ve had some dangerous luck with my foot this yr, however I need to make the most of this surgical procedure. I need to have surgical procedure and shut it down. Then I’ll come again subsequent yr and provides it a attempt to see the way it goes.”
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Kershaw underwent shoulder surgical procedure shortly after the Dodgers’ elimination within the 2023 National League Division Series by the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Recovery from that surgical procedure sidelined him till his season debut on July 25. He made solely seven begins, nevertheless, exiting his final on August 30 within the second inning on account of a toe damage.
Kershaw tried to rehabilitate the damage in time to rejoin the Dodgers’ shorthanded beginning rotation within the playoffs, however was unsuccessful and was dominated out for the rest of 2024.
“Clayton has executed all the things he can to get this factor going and provides himself an opportunity to make the postseason,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts informed reporters. “But the place he’s proper now, bodily, the foot, the toe simply is not cooperating. It’s truly getting worse.”
The 36-year-old Kershaw had a 4.50 ERA over these seven begins, simply the fewest begins and highest ERA the 10-time All-Star has posted in his profession.
Despite his absence from the playoffs, the Dodgers pitching employees tied an MLB postseason document with 33 scoreless innings with Kershaw watching from the dugout each step of the way in which. That features a dominant 9-0 win over the New York Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday behind seven scoreless innings by Jack Flaherty, a Los Angeles-area native who grew up watching Kershaw.
“Just the collective effort, it was the best factor to see,” Kershaw stated. “It was all of them. Obviously ‘Flare’ pitching final evening, getting by way of seven innings, actually arrange our recreation at this time for a bullpen recreation, clearly. You’ve bought to provide our bullpen numerous credit score, that what we have been in a position to do ranging from that bullpen recreation in San Diego (in Game 4 of the NLDS) till now. You can say a lot about every man, man.
Kershaw, each personally and because the longest-serving member of the Dodgers, has been no stranger to playoff disappointments over time. LA appeared headed down the same path, down 2-1 within the NLDS towards the rival San Diego Padres. But that is when their pitching employees’s scoreless streak started, permitting the Dodgers to reel off three straight wins to not solely advance to the NLCS but in addition take a series-opening lead over the Mets.
This prompted Derek Jeter to ask Kershaw what made this Dodgers workforce totally different from years previous.
“It’s arduous to match years,” Kershaw stated. “I really feel like we have had nice groups up to now, and no disrespect to the totally different groups that I’ve performed on up to now as nicely. But this yr, this group of men, they appear actually resilient. You cannot stop, whether or not we’re down 6-0, whether or not we’re up 6-0. It’s the identical battle each single inning. It’s been numerous enjoyable to be part of, particularly taking a step again and being on the sidelines watching this group of men, you’ll be able to actually inform they’re there. it is a heartbeat there, it is form of a collective.”
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