Clayton Kershaw turned back the clock Friday night against the San Diego Padres, proving once again that greatness doesn’t always come with velocity.
The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer carved up the Padres in six innings of brilliance, allowing just one run on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk. His effort gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a much-needed 3-2 win, tying up the NL West division race after being swept earlier in the week by the Angels.
What makes Kershaw’s latest gem even more remarkable is how he’s doing it in Year 18. He threw just two fastballs that reached 90 mph on Friday night.
“Clayton Kershaw held the Padres to 1 run in six innings of work. He did it with a fastball that averaged 89.7 mph. This man has given every single ounce of everything he’s ever had to the Dodgers for 18 years. Competitive greatness,” Dodgers’ Nation Doug McKain wrote.
Once a flame-throwing lefty averaging 94.4 mph as a rookie, Kershaw now sits at just 89 mph with his fastball, ranking in the second percentile in velocity leaguewide, according to Fangraphs. Yet the results keep coming.
In August alone, Kershaw has looked untouchable with a 1.00 ERA, dropping his season ERA to 3.01 across 77.2 innings. He’s now 7-2 this season.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
“In a rotation full of $100 million (and $300 million and $700 million) aces, Kershaw has been as consistent as it gets,” Noah Camras said
The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw need each other
It’s easy to forget how much mileage is already on his left arm. With more than 2,800 innings pitched in the regular season alone, Kershaw should be showing his age. Instead, he continues to adjust, lean on experience, and give the Dodgers exactly what they need in big moments.
The Dodgers couldn’t have asked for a better pitcher to open their pivotal series against San Diego. After a week where they saw their rivals snatch away the division lead, Kershaw delivered exactly what he’s always delivered in Dodger Blue: reliability.
“The Dodgers have stuck with me. it hasn’t been all roses. I’m super grateful now,” Kershaw said. “To say that I got to spend my whole career here, and I will spend my whole career here. I have a lot more appreciation.”
He isn’t the fireballer anymore, and that’s fine. Kershaw’s greatness now lies in his ability to evolve.
