Clayton Kershaw went out on top in his final regular-season start for the Los Angeles Dodgers by throwing 5.1 scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
The left-hander allowed just five baserunners (four hits, one walk) and recorded seven strikeouts on 94 pitches. Kershaw fittingly ended his outing with a strikeout by getting Eugenio Suárez to chase a slider out of the zone.
Freddie Freeman, who had already exited the game, then emerged from the Dodgers dugout to make the pitching change after a long embrace with Kershaw on the mound.
Freeman was honored that manager Dave Roberts let him go out there and called it one of the highlights of his career, via SportsNet LA:
“For Doc to let me be a part of it in that moment, those are the ones that will choke you up as you think about things that you were able to do in your baseball career. To be able to take, in my opinion, the greatest pitcher of our generation out of his last regular-season start, I think that might be up there as one of my favorite baseball moments that I’ve had. For him to do what he did today, five and a third, end it with a strikeout, very, very fitting for Clayton and happy to be a part of it.”
Freeman detailed his exchange with Kershaw and made sure to tell him what he has meant to the Dodgers organization for so many years:
“Yeah, I said I wanted the ball. And he said no, which I understood. I just told him I loved him and just said thank you and let him have his moment. What he’s done on this baseball field, he’s left everything out there on that mound. Eighteen years, he’s been incredible. So all we can really do is just hug him and tell him what he means to all of us.”
Freeman has only been with the Dodgers for four seasons but he was a natural choice to take the ball from Kershaw due to their history over the years and the fact that they are two of the most respected players of their generation.
Along with the celebratory moment with teammates, Sunday’s start also saw Kershaw’s wife, Ellen, and their two oldest children, Cali Ann and Charley in attendance. So too were former Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and former teammate and close friend A.J. Ellis.
Will Clayton Kershaw pitch in playoffs?
Because he made a normal start on Sunday, Kershaw won’t be included on the Dodgers’ roster for the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
In the event that L.A. advances to the next round, the three-time Cy Young Award winner would become an option for a possible bullpen role.
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