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Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is doing things nobody has ever seen before, but while fans enjoy his greatness, it is important to remember how uncommonly excellent Clayton Kershaw has been for most of his 18-year MLB career. The Los Angeles Dodgers legend has compiled numbers that are not supposed to be achievable in the modern era, all the while ingratiating himself to fans with his professionalism and love for the game. Skenes understands what this man means to baseball.
After tossing a scoreless and historic first inning in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, the 23-year-old starting pitcher expressed his gratitude for getting to share this experience with one of the best left-handed hurlers of all-time.
“He's such a class act,” Skenes said of Kershaw, per the Dodger Blue X account, after the National League defeated the American League in the first-ever swing-off tiebreaker. “It's just so impressive, obviously what he's done in the game, but the human that he is {as well}. We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today, and he had all his kids. Watching him be a dad, it was just cool. It was a cool experience for me.”
Being a California native, Skenes' admiration for Kershaw surely runs even deeper. Yes, he was a big Los Angeles Angels fan, but growing up in Orange County, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year knows the impact the three-time Cy Young Award winner has had on the state. Now, he is in the same clubhouse with him in an MLB All-Star Game.
Paul Skenes enjoyed getting to be at the All-Star Game this year alongside Clayton Kershaw. pic.twitter.com/5BeqY8Vd6n
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) July 16, 2025
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw resonates with so many, including Paul Skenes
The 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw, who earned an invitation to his 11th Midsummer Classic via the legacy pick, recorded two outs on Tuesday before Dodgers and NL manager Dave Roberts removed him from the exhibition. The veteran skipper told the future first-ballot Hall of Famer to keep the ball, and allowed him to bask in a standing ovation at Atlanta Braves' Truist Park.
Kershaw thoroughly enjoyed the entire outing — keeping things light while talking to the FOX broadcast crew (Joe Davis and HOF John Smoltz), striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and showing his appreciation to the fans who showered him with applause as he headed to the dugout. If this is his last All-Star Game and final MLB campaign, he has given the baseball world much to cherish after all these years. Kershaw is 216-95 with a 2.52 ERA and 3,003 strikeouts in nearly 2,800 innings pitched.
The playoff woes will always be a part of the story (4.49 ERA in 194 1/3 innings), but the two-time World Series champion is still one of the most important figures the sport has seen in the last 50 years. Paul Skenes is hoping to follow in his footsteps and mystify fans for well over a decade.
He is on the right track, posting an MLB-leading 2.01 ERA to go with 131 strikeouts this season. Skenes is giving people a reason to watch Pirates games, which has been an extremely difficult task for the last several years.
He will go into the second half of the campaign with a couple of wonderful memories from his second ASG. The young right-hander is especially grateful for the interactions he had with the 6-foot-4 southpaw. Skenes is not taking for granted the opportunity to watch Kershaw in action. And neither are Dodgers fans.
