Over the last 16 years, Clayton Kershaw has become one of the most dominant and influential pitchers of the modern era. Throughout his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kershaw has won numerous accolades and recorded over 200 wins and nearly 3,000 strikeouts. This past offseason, Clayton became a free agent. The three-time Cy Young Award winner will hope to finish his career off strong on the mound and contribute to a championship team. He had one final tough decision to make: finish his career in Los Angeles or try to win a championship somewhere new. Well, Kershaw has decided and is signing back with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The soon-to-be 36-year-old starting pitcher still has some gas left in the tank and has a ton of veteran knowledge to spread to his younger teammates.
This Three-Time Cy Young Winner Is Back In LA
Clayton Kershaw is back with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers and Kershaw are in agreement @JonHeyman and I can report. The physical is on Thursday. https://t.co/lqvqtRwdS0
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 6, 2024
Dodgers have had to manage a deep/full 40-man roster. Their trades with the NYY of Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson were to open 40-man spots for 1st Ohtani, then Brasier. With Kershaw physical on Thursday, he can (if passes) go right on 60-day IL and no 40-man spot needed https://t.co/Rl9v6GkETi
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 6, 2024
During the 2023 season, Kershaw threw 2,016 pitches. Close to 81 percent of his pitches were either a slider or fastball. He rarely used his other two pitches, especially his changeup, which he only threw 35 times in 24 starts. Out of 35 times, Clayton threw his changeup, only five of those pitches hit the strike zone. While his curveball hit the strike zone 37 percent of the time, Kershaw still threw a lot of hanging curveballs that would fly right over the strike zone. If Clayton Kershaw wants to be successful in 2024, he will have to switch up his pitches on the mound and be a more accurate pitcher, especially in the dwindling years of his career.
Kershaw’s 2023 Stats and Past Accolades
Last season, through 24 starts, Clayton put a 13-5 record through 131 innings pitches. He had a 2.46 ERA, along with 137 strikeouts. His best game of 2023 was early in the season, on April 29th, in a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine. His best overall season during his 16-year career was during the 2014 season. Clayton Kershaw went 21-3 through 27 starts. In 197 innings pitched, he had a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts. Clayton is a ten-time all-star and three-time Cy Young Award winner, receiving this prestigious award in 2011, 2013, and 2014. In 2014, he won the National League MVP Award, and after numerous failures in the postseason, he was a key asset in helping the Dodgers win their first championship in 2020 since 1988.
Main Photo Credits: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
