The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the most dominant teams in MLB in the past decade, and they recently clinched the NL West crown for the ninth time in the past 10 years. Currently sporting a 101-44 record, the Dodgers appear to be the favorite once more to take the World Series home. Amidst their run of dominance, one player has remained as an elite fixture of their starting rotation: their ageless southpaw, Clayton Kershaw, who is now 34 years of age.
In fact, Kershaw's peers have nothing but love for him, and they have expressed just how much they are in awe of his 14-year run of dominance. In particular, Zack Greinke, Kershaw's teammate from 2013-2015 and now of the Kansas City Royals, was so complimentary of Kershaw's skill despite initial confusion as to how the lefty pulled off his elite brand of pitching, according to Andy McCullough of The Athletic.
“To me, like, how do guys not hit that?” Greinke said. “When I got to face him more consistently [when I moved to the Arizona Diamondbacks], you would see that a good pitch is a good pitch. If someone has a really good pitch, even if you’re looking for it, it’s not easy to hit.”
In 18 starts this season, Clayton Kershaw has a 2.44 ERA, and he's still striking out more than a batter per inning. His fastball and slider combination, the bread and butter he built his career off of, has remained extremely effective despite age taking a bit of zip from his pitches' velocity.
“You just can’t see it,” Minnesota Twins pitcher Sonny Gray said of Kershaw's nasty slider.
Two New York-based aces could do nothing but tip their hats to how Kershaw's maintained his level despite the wear and tear on his arm.
“He doesn’t need velo. He doesn’t need anything. He just needs precision,” added New York Mets ace Scherzer, another one of Kershaw's former teammates.
“His command is remarkable,” furthered Cole, ace of the New York Yankees.
It's clear that Clayton Kershaw commands nothing but respect from his peers, for his work ethic, ability to adjust, and his almost unparalleled level of consistency. Fans of baseball must cherish Kershaw's performances while he's still churning them out like he's 20 years old.
The Dodgers will continue to rely on the mighty Clayton Kershaw in the postseason in hopes of obtaining their second title in three years.
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