Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Welp, I guess I was wrong about the Bills-Dolphins game being a laugher.
In today’s SI:AM:
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Farewell to a legend
Clayton Kershaw, one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in baseball history, is calling it a career.
Kershaw announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of this season and will make his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium tonight.
“I’m gonna call it. I’m gonna gonna retire. I’m at peace with it. I think it’s the right time," Kershaw said. "I’m really not sad, I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this. It’s just emotional."
Kershaw, 37, has spent his entire 18-year career with the Dodgers, making his debut in 2008 just two months after his 20th birthday. For a long period at the peak of his powers, Kershaw was both one of the most dominant and most durable starters in baseball. He won three Cy Young Awards in a four-year span (2011, ’12 and ’14) and became just the second pitcher since 1992 to win the MVP award in 2014. Between 2011 and ’17, only 19 MLB pitchers made at least 200 starts (Kershaw made 207). Of those 19, Kershaw had by far the lowest ERA during that period. His 2.10 ERA in those seven seasons was nearly a run better than the next-best pitcher (Madison Bumgarner at 3.02).
Back and shoulder injuries have plagued Kershaw in recent years, but he’s still been an effective starter when available. Since the start of the 2021 season, Kershaw ranks tied for 71st in games started with 95, but ranks fifth among pitchers with at least 90 starts in ERA (3.01).
It’s always difficult for a player as legendary as Kershaw to walk away from the game, but now seems like as good a time as any. Last season was brutal for Kershaw. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited him to just seven mostly lousy starts. He had a 4.50 ERA and allowed 10.8 hits per nine innings. It looked as though his career might already be over. But the Dodgers brought him back on a one-year contract and he made his season debut in mid-May.
This season has gone better for Kershaw than anyone could have expected. He’s stayed healthy and has pitched much better than last year, posting a respectable 3.53 ERA despite ranking in the bottom 2% in average fastball velocity. He’s the classic crafty veteran lefty. He’s not exactly going out on top, but few players get to pitch as effectively as Kershaw has in his final season. He’s also had a couple of memorable moments this season, joining the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club and being named an honorary All-Star.
Kershaw may have announced that he will retire, but his career isn’t over yet. The Dodgers still have their sights set on defending their World Series crown, and Kershaw will surely play some role in the playoffs. That role just might not be as a starter. Friday night’s start may not only be Kershaw’s final regular-season start in front of the Dodger faithful but his final home start, period. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers have pitchers to fill out their playoff rotation without Kershaw. But he’s been too good this season just to leave him off the roster. Might he be the answer to some of the Dodgers’ bullpen woes?
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Tom Verducci did a great job reflecting on the career of Clayton Kershaw, capturing why his competitive spirit was just as important as his impressive stats.
- Verducci also landed an exclusive interview with another iconic Dodgers lefty, Sandy Koufax, on Kershaw’s life and career.
- After the Bills’ closer-than-expected win over the Dolphins, Matt Verderame believes the AFC is still up for grabs.
- Marcus Rashford is back and then some. He sure gave the doubters something to think over after his standout performance for Barcelona against Newcastle.
- Another attacker among the goals was Erling Haaland, who yesterday became the quickest player to 50 Champions League goals.
- Vanderbilt—yes, Vanderbilt—is a serious contender in the SEC, thanks in large part to quarterback Diego Pavia. But as Pat Forde explains, Pavia’s former New Mexico State coach has also been critical to the Commodores’ rapid rise.
- The Fever, still without Caitlin Clark, pulled off a big upset against the Dream to advance to the next round of the WNBA playoffs.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. A nasty move by Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune that left two defenders in the dust. (Too bad her teammate couldn’t finish the header after Bethune’s cross.)
4. A’ja Wilson’s 38 points for the Aces in a do-or-die Game 3 win over the Storm.
3. Hunter Greene’s 102 mph fastball on his 107th pitch of the night. Greene allowed one hit and struck out nine in his first complete game shutout since 2022.
2. Josh Allen’s little flip pass to Jackson Hawes for a touchdown.
1. An outrageous diving play by Giants shortstop Willy Adames.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Clayton Kershaw Decides to Walk Away.
