LOS ANGELES — As Clayton Kershaw jogged out to the mound on a heat, sticky Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, his household watched delightedly a couple of hundred ft away. His spouse, Ellen, wore a No. 22 hat and her husband’s jersey as she wiped away tears. She stood subsequent to her youngsters, who created customized Skechers cleats for his or her dad to have a good time the event.
The anticipation that had constructed behind this begin, his first in over 9 months, was not like the remaining in his franchise report 17 seasons as a Dodger.
“I feel simply from the primary time having surgical procedure, to the rehab course of, to have the ability to get again on the market at Dodger Stadium is one thing I considered for a very long time,” Kershaw mentioned. “So, it meant so much.”
Not simply to Kershaw and his household, but in addition to the Dodgers, who, but once more, will want him greater than they’d have anticipated.
After Kershaw underwent the primary surgical procedure of his profession in November, a process to restore the injured glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder that had restricted him all through the second half of the 2023 season, something the 36-year-old supplied to the Dodgers this 12 months was purported to be a luxurious. He knew he would not be capable to return till the summer season on the earliest, and the Dodgers ready for that actuality by revamping a rotation that ran out of items final 12 months.
They shelled out $325 million to Nippon Skilled Baseball standout Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They traded for Tyler Glasnow, added James Paxton for additional depth, awaited the much-anticipated return of Walker Buehler and had a plethora of younger pitchers seemingly able to take the following step in Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and Emmet Sheehan.
And but, the Dodgers now enter the week of the commerce deadline nonetheless looking for one other ace — a actuality that continues to be, regardless of an encouraging first begin again Thursday from Kershaw, who struck out six batters and allowed two runs in 4 innings in opposition to the Giants.
“I feel that if that is the ground, then we’re in for a enjoyable trip with Clayton this 12 months,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
Sadly, the Dodgers have choices to make earlier than they’re going to know with any certainty how Kershaw’s shoulder will reply.
They maintain a cushty division lead, however regardless of all of their work to make sure a repeat of what befell in 2023 — when Kershaw fought by way of apparent limitations to attempt to carry a depleted Dodgers rotation by way of the end line — wouldn’t occur once more, accidents and ineffectiveness within the rotation have made including one other frontline starter a necessity.
Highlights from Dodgers’ 6-4 win vs. Giants
Yamamoto is sidelined with a strained rotator cuff that has left him with out a clear timetable to return. Miller, who handled a shoulder situation earlier this 12 months, is at present at Triple-A after posting an 8.07 ERA in seven begins. Buehler is on the injured checklist with hip irritation and has been unable to recapture his common kind so far in his return from Tommy John surgical procedure.
This month, 4 totally different rookies have mixed to make 9 of the Dodgers’ 19 begins. A mixed 5 begins have gone to Glasnow — who returned Wednesday from a again damage however is approaching his profession excessive in innings pitched — and Stone, the one two pitchers from the Dodgers’ rotation who stay on the lively roster. Three begins went to Paxton, who has since been designated for project. One other two begins have gone to journeymen relievers who served as openers.
And one, on Thursday, went to the Dodgers’ all-time strikeout chief, who was again on a major-league mound for the primary time for the reason that wretched 2023 Nationwide League Division Collection, when Kershaw was unable to flee the primary inning.
That wasn’t an issue Thursday, as he navigated round site visitors to place up a zero and struck out Patrick Bailey on a slider to finish the primary inning.
“The final couple years when he was throwing, afterwards there was soreness, ache and attempting to simply get to the following begin,” Roberts mentioned. “The place now, days after he throws, he feels robust, he feels recent, the soreness is in the fitting components of the physique. The stuff, for me, like I mentioned a pair days in the past, is best than it was final 12 months.”
Final 12 months, after a six-week hiatus on account of his ailing shoulder, Kershaw by no means went greater than 5 innings and by no means threw greater than 84 pitches in any of his remaining eight begins of the 2023 common season. His stuff diminished, his ache masked but apparent, he in some way managed to put up a 2.23 ERA over that stretch.
However the postseason, because it had so typically earlier than, unfolded in a different way.
Unable to depend on grit and willpower alone, he allowed six runs to the Diamondbacks within the first inning of Sport 1 of the NLDS. Starters Miller and Lance Lynn didn’t fare significantly better within the video games to comply with. For the second straight 12 months, the Dodgers suffered a surprising first-round exit. The longer term that awaited Kershaw was extra unsure than ever, however he knew he didn’t need that to be the ultimate reminiscence of his embellished Dodgers profession.
On Thursday, he fulfilled his hope of returning for the 2024 stretch run. His entrance tune “We Are Younger” blasted from the Dodger Stadium speaker. His slider darted round bats, ending off 4 strikeouts. His curveball fanned two extra hitters. The outing, whereas removed from good, introduced some normalcy again to a rotation in flux.
“Simply to be doing what you are meant to be doing is an efficient factor,” Kershaw mentioned.
In his first begin since his worst begin ever, Kershaw’s efficiency supplied hope.
His fastball maxed out at 91.8 mph and sat at 90.6. He bought eight swings and misses on his slider, and the Giants both whiffed or watched half of Kershaw’s 10 curveballs go by for strikes. He additionally combined in eight changeups, a pitch he is had in his toolbox for years however has by no means felt notably snug deploying.
“Listening to his tune come out and simply watching him sweat, compete, punch guys out, it was nice,” Roberts mentioned. “I believed we pushed him sufficient to get him prepared for his subsequent one the place we are able to proceed to construct, and we bought a pleasant basis. Yeah, I imply, it was such a protracted highway for him again, and I am simply completely happy for him.”
Essentially the most encouraging signal got here after he allowed 4 straight hits to start out the third inning.
With two males on and no one out, Kershaw responded with three straight strikeouts. He bought Bailey swinging on a slider, looped in a curveball to get David Villar trying and completed Thairo Estrada off with one other swing on a slider to keep away from additional harm in a 6-4 win.
“For the primary one,” Kershaw mentioned, “I am going to take it.”
The Dodgers, in the meantime, would possibly want it. If Kershaw can proceed constructing on that outing, there’s loads of time for him to exhibit he is prepared to start out video games in October.
But when the Dodgers do what they need to on the deadline, that will probably be a luxurious; not a necessity.
“I do not assume this may have any impression on subsequent week,” Roberts mentioned earlier than Kershaw’s begin. “I feel that given the place the starters are at, who now we have and guys that aren’t accessible, IL, I do not assume Clayton’s outing at the moment has any impression on that.”
Rowan Kavner is an MLB author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand coated the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved again to the West Coast in 2014. Observe him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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