He was 41 years old. [44], On March 13, 2022, Kershaw signed a one year deal worth $17 million to return to the Dodgers. [137], Kershaw made his seventh straight Opening Day start, tying Don Sutton for most consecutive Opening Day starts, and Sutton and Don Drysdale for most total opening day starts by a Dodger. He is a 28 year old left-handed strikeout American professional baseball pitcher and plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers team. A mini fridge cooled water bottles and cans of Kershaws Wicked Curve, the grapefruit-tinged wheat ale whose sales benefit Kershaws Challenge, the charity Clayton and Ellen established in 2011. Clayton Kershaw Wins No. 200 in Style as Dodgers Blank Mets 5-0 Other than that, he does it all alone, inside the gym he and his wife, Ellen, added to their home a handful of years ago, when hes not outside pushing the sled or throwing baseballs into the net in the driveway. Its where Ellen, the woman who has never met a stranger, works the microphone and holds court. Cooper isnt far behind. [141] On July 23, Kershaw left the game due to back tightness. In 2016, he was at rank 33 among the worlds highest paid athletes. [157] On May 6, Kershaw was placed on the disabled list due to left biceps tendinitis. [48] He credited his control of the slider being the major turning point for him. His parents divorced when he was 10, and he was raised by his mother. Whats wrong? she demanded. [20] He featured a fastball that topped out at 96 miles per hour (154km/h)[21] and he was rated as the top prospect in the GCL,[22] and the Dodgers' second best prospect by Baseball America behind third baseman Andy LaRoche. Ellen, their philanthropic compass, had already begun her charity work in Zambia, which would become the cornerstone of Kershaws Challenge, their faith-based, others-focused charity that has raised more than $20 million to date for organizations spanning three countries. The bend in his left leg as he propels himself forward; the right arm lengthening, then contracting; the right leg clomping into the dirt. I probably would never have admitted all of this two years ago or whenever before when we lost, Kershaw said. The couple leading every bit of the life they envisioned and more. Those young newlyweds are now 35-year-old parents of four, and another transition looms: the end of Claytons baseball career, which has thus far dictated the rhythm of their adulthood. And along with the joy came relief. Springs and early falls are back and forth between Dallas and Los Angeles. Kershaw said he just wants to honor the three-year commitment he made with the team. He allowed only one run in six innings with seven strikeouts against the Giants, but still lost the game 10. Two years later, in 2011, he made the first of nine All-Star games and won his first Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in each league. Kershaws Challenge stopped selling tickets to the public in 2021, which makes that 1,000-person crowd a vast web of family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, classmates, churchmates. Thats where the final check mark comes in: hell only pitch for one of two teams, the Dodgers or the Texas Rangers. Clayton mostly pins this on Ellen. Clayton won the Pitching Triple Crown in 2011. Kansas State Census Collection, 18551925, National League Pitcher of the Month Award, Player's Choice Award for National League Outstanding Pitcher, Players Choice Awards for Player of the Year, List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders, Los Angeles Dodgers award winners and league leaders, "Clayton Kershaw, historically relevant ace", "Major League Leaderboards 2020 Pitchers Dashboard | FanGraphs Baseball", "Career Leaders & Records for Hits per 9 IP", "Why fans are riveted by Giancarlo Stanton's race for seventh place", "Clayton Kershaw makes those Sandy Koufax comparisons plausible", "Koufax-like Clayton Kershaw growing into ace Dodgers crave", "Kershaw 1st to lead majors in ERA 4 straight years,", "Childhood Friends: Clayton Kershaw & Matthew Stafford", "When Pro Athletes Were In Little League", "(PRN) Clayton Kershaw Named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year", "Prep prospects prepare for draft while still in playoffs", "A&M notes: Aggies' biggest concerns against Sooners; Clayton Kershaw sighting", "Dodgers, Angels sign their top draft picks", "Gulf Coast League Top 20 Prospects List", "Suns Split Doubleheader, Kershaw Optioned to Jacksonville", "May 25, 2008 St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score", "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Youngest", "HP's Kershaw gets first win with Dodgers", "July 27, 2008 Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score", "2008 Los Angeles Dodgers Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics", "2008 League Championship Series (41): Philadelphia Phillies (9270) over Los Angeles Dodgers (8478)", "MLB: Kershaw takes no-hit bid into eighth, Dodgers beat Marlins", "2009 League Division Series (30): Los Angeles Dodgers (9567) over St. Louis Cardinals (9171)", "Fielder, Zaun homers, Braun's double highlight Brewers' big inning", "NL Quick Pitch: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw hands Ubaldo Jimenez first loss", "Clayton Kershaw and Joe Torre among suspended Dodgers", "2010 Los Angeles Dodgers Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics", "It's Clayton Kershaw and Dodgers' hitters who are smokin' this time", "Kemp, Kershaw picked for first All-Star Game", "Star bright: Clayton Kershaw named NL Pitcher of the Month", "Clayton Kershaw: First Dodger With Back-To-Back 200-Strikeout Seasons Since 2001", "Tim Lincecum Wants Revenge on Clayton Kershaw", "Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum and an endless pitcher's duel", "Kershaw's 21 win of 2011 puts him in Triple Crown Position", "Kershaw recognized with Warren Spahn Award", "Kemp, Kershaw win Players Choice Awards", "Dodgers' Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw all Golden", "Sporting News 2011 MLB awards: AL, NL All-Star teams", "Kershaw is the winner of NL Cy Young Award", "Flu knocks Kershaw out of Dodgers' opener", "Kershaw, Dodgers Win Nailbiter Over Nationals, 32", "Clayton Kershaw Wins National League Player Of The Week", "Clayton Kershaw earns spot on National League All-Star team for Los Angeles Dodgers", "Clayton Kershaw Has Audacity To Allow One (Unearned) Run, Loses", "After Kershaw exits, Dodgers can't close Padres", "Clayton Kershaw finishes with best ERA as Dodgers beat Giants", "Kershaw dazzles with shutout, homer vs. Giants", "Clayton Kershaw 2nd fastest Dodger to 1,000 strikeouts", "Kershaw turns in perfect All-Star third inning", "Puig nabs NL Player, Rookie awards for June", "Clayton Kershaw first Dodgers pitcher since Sandy Koufax with 200 strikeouts in four straight years", "Dodgers 11, Rockies 0: Clayton Kershaw finishes in style", "Dodgers ace Game 1 behind Kershaw's 12 K's", "Clayton Kershaw wins 2013 Warren Spahn Award", "Clayton Kershaw named to Sporting News NL All-Star team", "Clayton Kershaw wins 2013 NL Cy Young Award", "Clayton Kershaw puts Opening Day streak on the line", "Dodgers place Clayton Kershaw on disabled list after back injury flares up", "Clayton Kershaw throws seven shutout innings in return", "Kershaw tosses first no-no as Dodgers rout Rockies", "Clayton Kershaw named NL Pitcher of the Month for June", "Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig lead 4 Dodgers named to All-Star team", "Innings Pitched Records & Scoreless Innings Pitched Records", "Clayton Kershaw wins NL Pitcher of the Month for July", "Clayton Kershaw reaches 200 strikeouts for 5th straight year", "After sim game, Kershaw on pace for NLDS opener", "In M.V.P. [30] Kershaw was 03 and had a 2.28 ERA with 47 strikeouts through .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}43+13 innings pitched in his first stint of the year with the Suns. The story youre about to read begins with a $5.35 purchase on Amazon. As a result, the Dodgers chose to place him on the injured list to begin the season, ending his Dodgers record streak of eight straight opening-day starts. The Giants said only that Crawford left for a family emergency, and while they would not elaborate, Crawford's wife Jalynne posted on Instagram the devastating news that one of her sisters died.. But it fits where they are in their lives. Ellen is their sun, warm and inviting, who brightens everyone around her and around whom everyone wants to orbit. He played in youth sports leagues in school including the Little League Baseball. Kershaw spoke at his dining room table. Straight upper body. MLB offseason grades: Luis Arraez heads to Miami, but was the return enough for Pablo Lopez? Fastball inside. This all makes "The Klaw" a lock for the Hall of Fame after his career comes to a close. [85], Kershaw won the Warren Spahn Award for 2013, the second time he had won the award, which honors the best left-handed pitcher in the Major Leagues. Bible study was a staple. As far as $5.35 purchases go, Ive done far worse. Kershaw pitched a no-hitter on June 18, 2014, becoming the 22nd Dodger to do so. As he rounds third on his playing days,. [42] On May 17, 2009, Kershaw did not allow a hit against the Florida Marlins through 7 innings, then gave up a lead-off double to Florida's Cody Ross. Clayton Kershaw day by day: Near perfection - True Blue LA L.A. is not where theyre meant to be. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Clayton Kershaw Wife, Age, Height, Spouse, Kids, Net Worth, Ig Josh Meredith, Claytons childhood best friend and the best man in the Kershaws wedding, recalls a pack of about eight boys who werent really cool enough to be doing crazy things on Fridays and Saturdays. [88], After the season, Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a seven-year, $215 million, contract extension. That amazing woman has never met a stranger, says Josh Meredith. The Dodgers have been baseballs model franchise for a decade, a perennial contender that has won its division nine of the last 10 years and played for the World Series in three of them. The elder Kershaw remarried after his divorce from Marianne and died in 2013. This is your chance to understand why. Honestly, I wish I had an answer., Playing with one team your whole career is very cool, I think, but legacys not important to me on the baseball field. Clayton Kershaw pushed the weighted sled 70 feet through the well-tended grass of his homes side yard, his legs churning as he passed the plastic kiddie slide. [98] He won the pitcher of the month award again in July, the third Dodger (along with Don Sutton and Burt Hooton) to win it two months in a row. All going back to work would do is stand in the way of what makes him happiest: playing dad. It would be something I would never want to give up and they wouldnt either.. The deal was the richest in MLB history for a pitcher, eclipsing the seven-year, $180 million, contract signed by Justin Verlander the previous year. No exotic animals roam the property. A woman in Tehrangeles has revolutionized it, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Is gold hidden under a California peak? Clayton went to school at Highland Park high school and had been a baseball player since school days. [45] At 21 years old, he started the opener of the 2009 NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies and was the third youngest pitcher to ever start a playoff series opener, behind only Fernando Valenzuela in the 1981 NLDS and Rick Ankiel in the 2000 NLDS. Their kids are allergic to dogs, so the Kershaws currently own no pets. Kids who pool-hopped or watched Oprah with them. The other obvious option is joining the Texas Rangers. Be the first to know about Dallas' best events, contests, giveaways, and happenings each month. [106], Kershaw was honored after the season with the player of the year awards from both The Sporting News[107] and Baseball America. [1][2] Kershaw has a career hits allowed per nine innings pitched average of 6.82, the third-lowest in MLB history. That cant last forever, either. But his match arrived last year. But his arrival doesnt guarantee Kershaws time in Los Angeles will end in the fall. And when Shay remarried during the height of the pandemic, just a week after Ellens mom passed away from cancer in early 2021, there were the Kershaws. in Dallas, TX All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Claytons' father, Christopher George Kershaw, was a musician. No one around Clayton imagines hed stop pitching only to then throw himself into a demanding second career in a front office or a broadcast booth. He interjects himself into photos with Ellen and her girlfriends, tilts his head back and howls along to Rucker covering Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places. He closes out the evening playing auctioneer for a signed Rucker guitar, his raspy voice calling for bigger bids, exhorting the crowd to go higher, until its going once, going twice, sold. That game also marked only the sixth time in his career that Kershaw gave up two home runs in the same game to the same batter, Bo Bichette, and only the first time Kershaw did so to a rookie. Sorry.. They come through for their people. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital.