LOS ANGELES — The first four batters of the third inning reached. All of them on knocks and all of them on balls hit hard. The last of those was a 109 mph single from Matt Chapman.
The longtime Dodgers ace squinted his eyes and rubbed his left hand on his pant leg after his next three pitches were nowhere near the zone.
This was the highly anticipated return of Clayton Kershaw, the start of his 17th season in a Los Angeles uniform. The expectations remain high. His performance is still significant for his team’s World Series dreams.
And this first start on Thursday afternoon in his home ballpark was on the verge of going off the rails.
“He’s pitched with so much stress, in those situations, so many times throughout his career,” manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s some part of it, where you just default to having already been there. It’s not about your first start back. It’s not about how you feel. It’s about getting an out.”
On cue, Kershaw did what he’d done many times before. He locked in. The at-bat that began with that 3-0 count ended in a strikeout. Kershaw then struck out the next two to escape the inning. The Dodgers came back an inning later to take the lead and beat San Francisco 6-4.
Teammates, Shohei and Clayton. pic.twitter.com/b3FNj5SnEw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 25, 2024
The 36-year-old southpaw went four innings and allowed two runs. He struck out six, allowed six hits and walked two. Outside of the four-batter hiccup in the third, however, he was mostly dominant — generating 14 whiffs on 36 swings, including on a quarter of the 32 sliders he threw.
“It meant a lot. To get back out there in Dodger Stadium is something that I’ve thought about for a long time,” Kershaw said. “This was really cool, that a lot of people cared so much to help me.
“To go back out and pitch in Dodger Stadium — and not that I did before — but I’m not going to take it for granted.”
The last time Kershaw took a major-league mound, he exited after recording one out in an abysmal, six-run playoff flop against the Diamondbacks.
There were legitimate questions about whether or not that would be it for the longtime great. He was pitching with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He’d been on the injured list at some point in every season dating back to 2016. With the expiration of his contract, perhaps his days on the mound were through.
But as he prepared to throw his first pitch against the Giants, there was a sustained cheer from the sold-out ballpark. Fans showed their appreciation for Kershaw choosing not to retire. Appreciation that he came back to Los Angeles, instead of his hometown Rangers. Appreciation for everything he’s given the franchise for nearly two decades.
“Coming back is obviously something that I wanted to do,” Kershaw said. “But it’s kind of like, they spent all this time helping me get back, so they want to see me get back too. So all the work isn’t for nothing.”
Kershaw was the story, but in an odd twist, Nick Ahmed was the hero. Released two weeks ago by the Giants, Ahmed hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie. It was just the second blast of the season for the light-hitting shortstop. He’d been with Los Angeles for less than 24 hours.
It allowed Kershaw to smile after the game, talking about how his wife and children could come to the park and see him pitch. It allowed for a feel-good ending to a significant day.
“I’ve had a lot of at-bats off of him, facing him for a lot of years,” said Ahmed, who spent 10 seasons with the Diamondbacks. “I’m glad I don’t have to face that slider anymore. Just watching him compete over the years. To play behind him is an honor.”
Roberts said that, with Kershaw, he typically eyes his hand speed and arm speed. When those are sharp, his slider is effective, his curveball lands and his fastball sits at 90-91 mph. He’s seen examples of Kershaw’s arm looking lethargic, and that’s when his pitches become hittable.
Kershaw also dropped in six changeups, a substantial increase from the 33 total he threw last year and the 11 total from 2022. Kershaw said he wasn’t happy with his fastball command. But by all accounts, he was on point with the changeup and everything else he threw during his 72-pitch outing.
“I thought it was the same Kersh that I’ve always seen,” said Austin Barnes, the Dodgers backup who has long been Kershaw’s primary catcher. “Just his ability to move pitches around and keep hitters off balance. I thought today’s stuff was really good.”
The Dodgers stacked their rotation in the offseason, adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton. They hoped for a strong return of Walker Buehler, and growth from the young Bobby Miller.
But Yamamoto is on the 60-day IL. Buehler is hurt. Miller has been optioned. Paxton was DFA’d just this week.
At the start of the season, Kershaw coming back healthy and to form would have been a nice boost for the Dodgers. Given the uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles’ starting pitching, it feels more like a necessity that he remains healthy and performs. After the game, Roberts said this start gave him confidence that Kershaw would be ready for a postseason run.
That was the undercurrent of everything that happened on Thursday. The implicit understanding of just how important this start was. This day was about appreciating Kershaw’s return, and the significance of getting back an all-time great.
“To be doing what you’re meant to be doing,” Kershaw said, “is a good thing.”
(Photo of Clayton Kershaw: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
