Clayton Kershaw isn’t the Triple Crown, MVP-caliber ace he once was.
But with the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ reeling with their backs against the wall, he has been everything the team has needed him to be.
Kershaw once again stopped the Dodgers’ bleeding by throwing six dominant, two-hit innings in their 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night that snapped a four-game losing streak and pulled LA back into first place in the National League West.
It was Kershaw’s third straight win and his third straight six-inning outing. He has allowed just two runs and 14 hits in that span.
Perhaps more importantly, the Dodgers have not lost in August with Kershaw on the mound but are 3-7 when someone besides their longtime ace starts on the rubber.
What Has Clayton Kershaw Done To Turn Back The Clock?
Even though he is by far the oldest player on the Dodgers‘ roster — Kershaw is the only current Dodgers player that was playing when manager Dave Roberts was active — the 37-year-old taking the mound every fifth day has been enough for the Dodgers just to eat innings.
But Kershaw has done more than that. After a lost year in 2024, where he was bogged down by those injuries — Kershaw went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA but had a -0.3 bWAR — he has pitched with a different style, eschewing strikeouts and pitching to contact with LA’s solid defense behind him.
“They hit some balls hard on the ground,” Kershaw said. “I had the defense pick me up, which was huge.”
Kershaw’s 5.68 K/9 rate is by far the lowest of his career, but his 49.8 ground-ball rate is the most in a full season since 2015. His 8.9 home run per fly-ball rate is also the lowest since 2016 — he’s allowed just seven home runs, including Ramon Laureano’s second-inning homer off the left field foul pole Friday night.
The lack of swing and misses hasn’t burned Kershaw yet, since opposing hitters have a .277 batting average on balls in play — far better than the .354 of a year ago.
Yet, for as unlucky as Kershaw was last season, he has been far more fortunate this year, since his ERA (3.01) and FIP (3.87) are much better than his expected metrics (3.97 xERA/4.24xFIP), per FanGraphs.
Why Has Clayton Kershaw Been So Important?
The Dodgers‘ starting-pitching injuries have been well-documented. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki have all spent time on the IL as did Kershaw, since it took him a handful of starts to get back to form from knee and foot injuries.
Yet, after LA fell out of first place by getting swept by Los Angeles Angels, Kershaw was the right man for the job, according to Roberts.
“We had the right guy on the mound tonight,” Roberts said. “What he did for us tonight, not just the compete but the stuff. I just thought he pitched really well.”
Kershaw, who has made 39 postseason appearances and 32 playoff starts including six in the World Series, downplayed the importance of the Padres series. But also understood why his outing was so important, based on LA’s recent 12-21 swoon where it fell out of first place.
“It’s a game in August. It’s not that huge of a deal,” Kershaw said. “But the way we were going, it felt like a huge game for us, and I’m thankful we got a win out of it.”
Kershaw Comes To Dodgers’ Rescue Again, Pulls LA Back Into First Place