Clayton Kershaw Walking Off Of His Home Mound For The Last Time In The Regular Season Was A Truly Incredible Baseball Moment
Goosebumps, straight up goosebumps. Watching Clayton Kershaw leaving the mound in Los Angeles for the final time in the regular season was like a scene out of a baseball movie. A first ballot HOF lefty who spent his entire 18 year career with a legendary team announces he's hanging em up at the end of the season and would make his final start at home on a Friday night against a hated, division rival? Yeah, that's the good stuff. Only fitting that Kershaw's final pitch on the mound was a strikeout (100% a ball) of Raffy Devers, it's the only way he should have gone out. 3,045 Ks and counting but the final one at home will always be a special one.
He knew it right away too, that was the final one. He starts to smile as he looks at his teammates as Dave Roberts heads out to the mound. Love how he waited to get him mid-inning so the crowd could properly acknowledge him, about as classy as classy gets. Also was waiting for the umpires to try and get involved and try and call a pitch clock violation or some dumb shit.
The look Mookie has on his face tells you all you need to know, I mean look at that grin! Kershaw pocketed the ball before starting the round of hugs with the boys. Special moment between 22 and Dave Roberts as they shared a nice exchange and hug. What an exhale from Claton as he headed towards the dugout too, probably feels like the weight of the world is off his chest now. He's got to be emotionally drained by now too, I'm sure he's known for a while that he was going to walk away after this season and was just sitting on it. Probably has been weighing on him a lot but with the announcement and this game now in the rearview they can start to lock in for the playoffs.
He gave a nice wave to the crowd, motioned a hug to them before raising his hat to salute the crowd as he headed into the dugout. I don't enjoy the Apple TV broadcast that much at all but I will give them props for correctly recognizing the moment and letting it breathe. Didn't try and slip in anything, didn't interrupt the crowd and let us take it all in with Kershaw. A+ stuff there, although it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that this was one of those moments where no words needed to be said, you just let it all go. Great shots of his wife and family, just overall a really cool moment for the game of baseball and Clayton Kershaw. The scene pregame was incredible as well, very cool tribute to Kershaw.
Love his teammates giving him the okie-doke. Thought he was heading out with everyone, but nope! He tried to wave em onto the field so they could get the game started but there was no way they were letting that happen. No one at Dodger Stadium was sitting as all Kershaw's teammates spill out of the dugout to continue the ovation. He'll always get shit for his playoff numbers, 13-13 with a 4.49 ERA in 39 games, it's justified, I get it. When you're in the playoffs pretty much every year, you're going to get beat up sometimes, but he was also so fucking good for so long I don't really care what he did in October.
3 Cy Youngs, an MVP, 2 rings (maybe 3), over 300 Ks, over 265 wins, he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a decade plus. His 2015 season where he finished 3rd makes me laugh, 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA in 33 starts with 301 strikeouts in 232.2 innings. Insane. He's no doubt a top 3 lefty of all time, he'll be a first ballot guy in Cooperstown and he simply was one if, if not, the best pitcher this generation has ever seen. Toss Scherzer and Verlander in there too obviously, but I may go Kershaw. His career ERA now sits at 2.54, yes, 2.54. Lowest career ERA of all time in the live ball era out of all pitchers to throw 2,500 innings.
He's close to the last of a dying breed too, these bonafide stud superstars who spend their entire Hall of Fame career in the same uniform. 18 years as a Dodger and he's among the best to ever do it for that franchise. He'll go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time and we're pretty damn lucky we were able to see his career play out in front of us. Like he told the fans, they want to play for another month so we'll see if he gets to end his career with the another ring.
PS. Not sure if you knew this or not.