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The offense scored 11 times. Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs. And the team regained sole possession of first place in the division.
But on a night of all-around excellence from the Dodgers, no one impressed quite like the man who endures as the most familiar, and foundational, face of the franchise.
Clayton Kershaw might only throw 90 mph (on a good fastball) now. He might lack the ever-imposing aura that emanated through the peak of his career.
But at 37 years old, and in his 18th MLB season, the future Hall of Fame left-hander can still consistently hit locations, mix his arsenal and pitch — in every meaning of the word — his way through a stellar big league outing.
It’s why he wanted to keep playing this season, even after a 2023 shoulder surgery and toe and knee procedures in the offseason. Why he still holds a place in the Dodgers’ starting rotation, one that has counted on him to compensate for a swath of injuries in the season’s opening two months. And why, when handed a big early lead Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, he knew exactly what to do, breezing through a scoreless seven-inning, three-hit, five-strikeout gem in the Dodgers’ 11-5 win at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers have declined to release a statement in support of their fans protesting ICE raids that have ripped apart families in Southern California.
“He worked ahead all night long and put the pressure on those guys and found a way to get through seven really efficiently,” manager Dave Roberts said. “[He] put us in a good spot tonight.”
Saturday was not exactly a daunting task for Kershaw.
He was facing a Giants lineup that ranks 25th in the majors in batting average. He had the luxury of a six-run lead by the top of the third inning, thanks to a leadoff home run from Ohtani in the first (his seventh leadoff blast of the season, and one that snapped a season-long 10-game home run drought) and the lineup’s five-run ambush of Giants starter Landen Roupp in the second.
“Our offense is so good,” Kershaw said. “It’s really important to get some zeroes on the board early, and you can see what they do.”
As a result, Kershaw’s assignment the rest of the night was simple: Get quick outs, keep his pitch count under control, and ensure a lopsided score stayed that way in a contest that put the Dodgers (42-29) one game ahead of the Giants (41-30) in the National League West standings.
“I think if they feel the momentum, they start swinging the bats,” Kershaw said. “So from there, when you get that early lead, you just try and pound the zone as best you can.”
By Kershaw’s own admission, his stuff wasn’t “wasn’t amazing” even by its new, diminished standards. His fastball sat at only 88.4 mph, a tick below its already falling average. He didn’t love the way he executed his slider, noting there were pitches he “backed up” that were hit hard.
But none of that mattered to the 51,548 in attendance who watched him in amazement.
So often in recent years, as injuries have ravaged his body and his age has become an ever-present impediment, it has seemed like Kershaw was near the end of the road; that seven scoreless innings in a rivalry series was something he might no longer be capable of.
Which is why, as Kershaw exited the mound for the final time, a string of seven zeroes adorned the scoreboard in right field behind him, he received a standing ovation from the crowd and a celebratory reception in the dugout.
“It was special,” said Kershaw, who had Roberts leading the applause from the top step of the bench. “I love pitching here. I don’t take it for granted. Who knows how many I got left here? So, I’m just going to enjoy it. It’s special any time somebody cheers for you like that. It’s pretty special.”
The start of the season has not been easy for Kershaw. He spent most of the winter rehabbing, stuck on crutches or in a walking boot for most of the offseason. He opened the year still recovering from his lower-body surgeries, completing an extended rehab assignment in the minor leagues before finally being activated last month.
His first four starts were inconsistent, with rainy conditions and spotty execution contributing to an earned-run average over 5.00.
But last week in St. Louis, Kershaw found something with his breaking stuff in a five-inning, one-run, seven-strikeout start.
And against the Giants, he tortured the Dodgers’ biggest rival the same way he always has; working quickly, efficiently and ruthlessly to lower his season ERA to 3.25, and his career ERA against the Giants to 2.00.
“It might not have been as good as the last one, but that’s pitching; you’re not going to have your A-stuff all the time,” Roberts said. “I think that the quality of strike throwing, the being able to get ahead, putting the ball in play early, being efficient, those are things that that’s where we need him to be going forward.”
In the first, Kershaw erased a leadoff walk to Jung Hoo Lee by getting Heliot Ramos to ground into an inning-ending double-play, snapping off an outer-half slider to escape one of his few jams.
In the second, he needed just four pitches to retire the side in order, capitalizing on a string of well-located offerings for a lightning-quick inning.
With the Dodgers leading 6-0 when he returned to the mound — the Dodgers’ five-run second-inning was keyed by an Andy Pages RBI single, a Michael Conforto RBI double and a two-run double from Mookie Betts after Ohtani was intentionally walked — Kershaw went on an all-out attack.
He stranded a leadoff double, collecting the first of his five strikeouts along the way; a total that leaves him just 12 shy of reaching 3,000 strikeouts for his career.
“It’s obviously a very cool thing and it’s starting to get a little more on the forefront of the mind, but who knows how long 12 could take me at this point?” he joked.
He got a little bit closer in the fifth, stranding another double with two vintage swing-and-miss curveballs that left Tyler Fitzgerald looking silly.
“There’s just a lot better strike-throwing for me,” Roberts said. “I thought the curveball was the best it’s been since he’s been back.”
By the time Kershaw completed the seventh, he was only at 81 pitches (he didn’t even fully embrace his final ovation, he noted, because he wasn’t certain he was done).
But with the Dodgers having extended their lead to 10-0, thanks to another home run from Ohtani (the 250th of his career) and a two-run shot from Teoscar Hernández (his third-straight game going deep), Roberts didn’t want to push him further.
For one night, even at this stage of his career, Kershaw had conjured up greatness once again.
Ohtani feeling ‘game-ready’ on mound
Ohtani remained coy Saturday when asked whether, as Roberts hinted at this week, he could return to pitching in games before the All-Star break, a return timeline that would be quicker than once expected.
“What do you think,” Ohtani retorted through an interpreter when asked about that possibility. “Something like that.”
But, the two-way star said he did feel like his stuff was “game-ready” during his most recent three-inning live batting practice session Tuesday.
“I think [when I return to pitching] has a lot to do with pitch counts,” said Ohtani, who got up to 44 pitches Tuesday in what was his third live session before his 23-pitch bullpen session Saturday. “But with the last live BP, I felt like the intensity was there and my stuff was game-ready.”
Sheehan nearing return
While the Dodgers wait on Ohtani, they could get another pitching reinforcement this week.
Right-hander Emmet Sheehan rejoined the team Saturday after completing a rehab assignment in triple-A while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Roberts stopped short of confirming when Sheehan will be activated, noting the team wants him to throw a bullpen session Sunday before making a final decision. But once he does come back, Sheehan will be built up to roughly four innings and 60 pitches.
“Coming off Tommy John, you just really don’t know what to expect,” Roberts said of Sheehan, who had a 4.92 ERA in 13 games as a rookie in 2023. “But I think we saw a little bit of it in spring training. And all the reports from that point to now have been really positive every time out.”
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