Has Clayton Kershaw pitched his last game for the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Since making his MLB debut in 2008, Kershaw has never taken the mound for another team. He’s appeared in 379 games, tossed 2,454.2 inning and logged 185 wins. But his Dodgers career may have come to an end with a forearm injury on Friday night.
Kershaw exited the Dodgers’ 8-6 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the top of the second inning due to forearm/elbow inflammation. It’s the same issue that forced Kershaw to miss time earlier this season.
After the game, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner called it a “tough blow.”
“It just got bad enough to where I couldn’t keep going tonight,” Kershaw said, via ESPN. “I’ll get it looked at again, obviously, in the next couple days. Haven’t quite wrapped my head around all that yet. The biggest thing was I just wanted to be part of this team going through October. This team is special. You saw tonight.
“I’ve known that. I know that we’re gonna do something special this year, and I wanted to be a part of that. That’s the hardest part for me right now is just knowing that chances are it’s not looking great for October right now.”
Although Kershaw is hopeful to return, his postseason is very much in doubt. And with free agency pending, that could mean the end of Kershaw’s Dodgers career — something he may have been aware of as he kept the baseball upon exiting the game.
Clayton Kershaw left the game with an injury in what could be his last start as a Dodger. He took the ball with him, rather than giving it to Roberts… do with that info what you will pic.twitter.com/X96jUzap7q
— Okay Takes (@OkayTakesPod) October 2, 2021
Kershaw claims that was simply a matter of coincidence and shouldn’t be read into.
“Probably just shock. Honestly I had no idea I was holding onto the ball. Probably should have given it to Doc,” Kershaw said after the game, via Bill Plunkett.
Shock or no shock, Kershaw recognizes he may have pitched his final game in a Dodgers uniform, stating simply, “the future’s gonna take care of itself.”
