As expected, Clayton Kershaw made his start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night despite his mother passing away over the weekend.
Whether impacted by the emotions from that or simply not sharp, Kershaw labored through four innings against the Minnesota Twins. He allowed two runs on seven hits and collected seven strikeouts on 90 pitches.
After the Dodgers’ 5-1 loss, Kershaw expressed gratitude for all the support he has received during this difficult time. “Just wanted to say thank you, everybody, for the condolences and everything this week,” Kershaw said.
“Everybody, fans, people, everybody reaching out. It’s been humbling to see how many people have reached out, and I’m thankful for that. She was a great lady, and just thank you for everybody that has reached out. It’s really nice.”
Kershaw’s next scheduled start is Sunday, in a road matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. While he has every intention to take the mound, it is still plausible Kershaw will first on the bereavement list.
Per MLB roster rules, a player on bereavement must miss a minimum of three days but no more than seven.
Clayton Kershaw ‘took a gamble’ with pickoff throws
Kershaw’s night included a pitch timer violation and allowing Michael A. Taylor to take second base after a leadoff walk because of a failed third disengagement from the mound.
“I just took a gamble. I knew Taylor was going to go, so I figured after I picked over twice, there was no way he expected me to do it a third time,” Kershaw explained after the game.
“It was pretty risky, probably not the right thing to do. I thought maybe I could get an easy out that way. Then the pitch violation, I just wasn’t paying attention for that one. I think I covered first, so I thought they’d give me a little extra time, but guess not.”
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