When Clayton Kershaw was sidelined nearly two months due to injury in 2018, he also missed making the All-Star Game for the first time since 2010. Despite dealing with a shoulder injury that had him on the 10-day injured list the beginning of the 2019 season, the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace is once again an All-Star.
Kershaw is joining teammates Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu, plus manager Dave Roberts.
Kershaw is on the verge of being past his prime, with a slower fastball and three straight seasons of back injuries as he heads deeper into his 30s. Additionally, Ryu’s breakout year and Buehler’s success in his sophomore season have overshadowed Kershaw in the Dodgers’ starting rotation.
Roberts, in fact, all but formally tabbed Ryu as the NL’s starting pitcher. It is a justified reward for the Korean hurler’s league-leading 1.83 ERA, but it’s also an honor Kershaw has never received.
Nonetheless, after failing to do so last year, he is not taking this or any chance to make the All-Star Game for granted, per Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“They all mean a lot,” Kershaw said. “I think from where I was in spring training to where I am now, I don’t know if I necessarily thought I’d get to go. So with that [said], I think that’s a little bit more rewarding, especially after not getting to go last year.”
Kershaw becomes the first Dodgers player to make eight different All-Star Game since longtime first baseman Steve Garvey. He now has more All-Star nods than several other franchise legends such as Jackie Robinson (seven), Sandy Koufax (seven) and Fernando Valenzuela (six).
Kershaw needs one more appearance to tie the late Don Drysdale, who has nine, which is most by a pitcher in Dodgers franchise history.
Despite not being at the level of is old dominant self, Kershaw remains a great starting pitcher with a 3.23 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 14 starts in 2019. His success is even more remarkable after a shoulder injury in Spring Training held him out over the first two weeks of the season.
He has much experience in the Midsummer Classic than any of his teammates. Bellinger made the NL All-Star team in 2017, his rookie season. Roberts, of course, also managed the NL in the 2018 All-Star Game, receiving the honor as he did this year for leading the Dodgers to an NL pennant.
For Buehler and Ryu, though, this is their first time as All-Stars. Both the veteran lefty from Korea and the young righty from Vanderbilt have said they are honored to make the team.
