6:04PM: More will be known once Kershaw undergoes more tests, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Juan Toribio and other reporters that the team is going ahead as if Kershaw’s 2021 season is over.
4:03PM: The Dodgers have placed Kershaw on the 10-day injured list with left forearm discomfort. Righty Mitch White was called up to take Kershaw’s spot on the active roster.
TODAY, 7:14AM: Things are not looking good for Kershaw, who looks like he might be “out for a while,” per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Tests still must be completed, but Kershaw himself spoke of the injury, detailing it as similar to what he’s been dealing with all year, that quote provided in full here by ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
OCTOBER 1: Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw left this evening’s start against the Brewers in the second inning due to what the team called forearm discomfort (via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Kershaw was tagged for three runs on five hits in that brief time, although his fastball velocity was in its customary 90 MPH range.
More will be known after further evaluation, but it’s an obviously concerning development. Any forearm injury is worrisome for pitchers, and Kershaw missed more than two months earlier in the season because of inflammation in the area. He returned from that IL stint on September 13 and was making his fourth start since coming back.
There’s no indication at this point that Kershaw’s in line for another extended absence. But it’s hard to imagine a more inopportune for such a development. The Dodgers entered play two games back of the Giants in the NL West, with a possibility of being eliminated from division contention tonight. Max Scherzer is lined up to start a potential Wild Card game, but Kershaw would no doubt be a key component of a potential NLDS pitching staff if he’s healthy. The three-time Cy Young award winner is slated to hit free agency this offseason.
This is horrible news but probably better for the dodgers he doesn’t pitch for them in the postseason
OK Braves, your turn to lose another key player. I know, I know, Acuña, that was months ago. Ante up.
Haha, Dave! Maybe. It’ll probably just be Chris Martin though. The Braves can work around that like they do every year. Worst case scenario Duvall could pull an oblique again. Seems unlikely. That could end up hurting them if it happens though. I could see him hitting about 5 homers in the first couple rounds healthy.
Ruh-roh!
He’s their 4th best starter, yet he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer that would still fetch $30m/year on the open market. If the Dodgers don’t win the World Series this year, it’s an embarrassment.
Oh brother
Winning 100-plus games is never an embarrassment
Yes i can see how going to the playoffs for 8 straight years, winning a ring, winning over 100 games in many of those years, cultivating strong, homegrown talent that we supplement with quality major leaguers, and figuring out how to build a successful organization is pretty embarrassing…
OTOH, does the ring really count?
It does. Shut up. Manfred says it’s valid even if you don’t like it just like the 17 ring even though trash cans were used. Both are valid. Cope.
Winning you division in a 60 game season when the rest of your division is complete crap is something to be proud of.
And the 7 preceding years……..?
Complete crap? Padres had second best record and made playoffs, sit down simp
No big deal. Running into the hot Cardinals, the Dodgers probably won’t need any more than 1 postseason starter anyway.
The Dodgers have won 13 straight home games. Since July 31, they are 42-13 overall. Let’s just say the Cardinals will have their hands full.
It’s one game. Orioles can even beat any team on any given day. And when it’s the Cardinals, I want no part of them in the postseason. Especially when Dave roberts is the coach
Dave Roberts is a coach? I thought he was an umpire.
The anti-Roberts people are clueless.
Will someone tell me Roberts is still playing Bellinger, another 0 for 3 night geez
Problem for the Cards is that the Dodgers’ 1 postseason starter will be Mad Max. Granted the Cards are hot, but the Dodgers are a juggernaut on offense.
Let’s all agree on one thing- Dodgers vs. Cardinals is going to be a great game and we’re all going to watch it!
The way the Dodgers hitters are absolutely ripping up the Brewers pitching staff leads me to believe that the Cards v Dodgers (still possible it is Giant) won’t be such a great game. Supposedly the Brewers had one of best staffs. They probably do but Pollack, Seager, and Trea Turner are really raking (at the right time) and they you have Mookie and Justin and Muncey as well as WillSmith and Chris Taylor.
Any one games ”series” is still iffy but the Dodgers a home will be a huge test for the Cards.
Hot vs Home record yada yada….it all means nothing….its 1 game, throw the narratives completely out the window- A good teams seasons is over next Wednesday that’s all we know for sure
I don’t agree with the format, but it is what it is and should be a hoot
Id bet strong there are going to be 8 other playoff team fan bases secretly rooting hard for the Cardinals tho , especially dem Giants
Seems like the Cardinals have his number in October. Going to look up the numbers, but he’s definitely had some rough games against them.
Class guy. Hope he’s alright.
Kershaw is 0-4 in 5 postseason starts against the Cardinals allowing 20 ER in 29.1 innings
Good thing there’s no way he plays the cardinals
Not much thought went into some of these comments.
And a playoff series from 7-8 years ago has no bearing now
Not much thought went into the comments? You mean other than the facts, right?
The facts tell us that Scherzer will pitch that game. So yes, not much thought went into some of these comments.
That’s great except the Max is pitching against the Cards on Wed so Kershaw’s stat’s don’t mean squat.
Actually we don’t know if Scherzer will pitch the Wild Card Game against the Cardinals or a game 163 against the Giants. The only thing we know for sure is whether the Dodgers play one game or all the way to game 7 of the World Series Kershaw won’t be on the roster
This is true but it wasn’t going to matter.
He only throws 90mph?
He is done…..
His 4 seamer typically tops out in the low 90s, though his success is more about his slider and curve. But you may have commented sarcastically.
Either way, he’s finally started incorporating a change up on a very limited basis. That will likely increase as his career moves forward.
Kershaw still has a plus repertoire. When the slider is on, everything else falls into place. The rotation depth in L.A. will allow the Dodgers to use him judiciously. Buehler and Urias are obviously outstanding. Gonsolin is looking good, May returns in 2020, and Bobby Miller seems to be on the fast track. That’s a lot of controllable starting pitching, making it possible for them to retain both Kershaw and Scherzer, regardless of how the Bauer money shakes out. Because the other guys are so good, it’s conceivable the Clayton and Max can wind up being #’s 4 and 5 even though they’re both still top pitchers.
Bauer will get suspended next year and that $ doesn’t count against the Dodger payroll in 2022.. So that’s 40 mil off the books for next year.
DODGER JR, Have you read MLB’s Domestic Violence Policy? Included is a penalty section that spells out how a team might ultimately part ways with an offending player. It took me about 45 minutes to get through it (slow reader) but made me feel a whole lot better about the Dodgers’ probable future with no obligation to Bauer. This is something that was collectively bargained for. As fans, we just have to let it play out. In the meantime, I’m as confident as you are that he’ll be off the books, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Price calls it a career. While Price is owed $32 million, he’s not cut from the same cloth as everyone else. I have enormous respect for that guy and have for a long time.
Greg Maddux average fast ball was 86 MPH! So he must be horrible right? Wow the comments never fail with stupidity! Kershaw is the greatest pitcher of this generation but he would have been our 4th pitcher in the postseason, Gonslin is a very solid starter & started game 6 of the winning World Series game in 2020 & we have lead baseball with bullpen games & still have the number #1 pitching staff in baseball , even without Bauer, May, Neilson, Alexander & Duffy & Hammel not making it to a start, the Dodgers are deep everywhere! But MLB needs to figure out a better format for the postseason , The Dodgers & Giants are both breaking their nearly 125 year records for wins & to have to play a 1 game playoff as a 106 win team is a joke when you have a 20 game lead over the winner of the east! No way the Cardinals would win a best of 3 or 5 but Carpenter does have a career 1.50 ERA against LA so hopefully they will pitch Flaherty
They already announced that Wainwright will pitch against the Dodgers on Wed.
Meanwhile the rest of the Cardinals will be in S.F. to play the Giants on Wednesday.
You mean Friday.
gldez1, I agree regarding a better format. Baseball has never been a sudden-death sport. It’s about winning as many series throughout the summer as you can, which often comes down to winning the third or rubber game.
Since the sport is headed toward 32 teams, my proposal would be two eight-team divisions per league similar to what the NBA has. Six teams in each league make the playoffs. The two division winners get a first-round bye, with the other four teams squaring off in a best-of-three series at the home park of the higher seed (#6 at #3, #5 at #4). Win or lose that first game, the series still has to go at least one more game, which is more like real baseball to me. The excitement would be unreal with four mini-series going on at once. More interest in baseball during football season would be a good thing.
I would start this before expansion takes place.
Agreed, it’s a travesty. I think a fair number of us Giants fans are hoping for the dodgers/ giants matchup for the drama and importance of it. Now if the giants were not making the playoffs I’d probably e laughing about the dodgers potentially losing a 1 game playoff to the cards. But that’s just cause I hate the dodgers! These two teams deserve to face off against each other, it’s even too bad that the best of 7 is impossible. Hopefully MLB uses this as a catalyst to review the format
I’ve never respected a Giants fan more
@gidez1 i would love for carp to pitch in the postseason this year but there is a huge problem with that. the man hasn’t thrown a ball in 9 years
He may only throw 90, but if he has surgery his velo can return. Even if it doesn’t, see GREINKE …. Or on our side, see Nasty Nestor.
Kershaw’s best pitch is the curveball. The he has four other plus pitches.
He has a curve slider fastball and rare change up he has 2 plus pitches and a fastball
One forbidding sign is that he kept the ball. There may be more to this injury.
How about you wait until he undergoes further evaluation before you say his career is finished & by the way Verlander missed basically a year after he turned 3o & he came back & became a top starter again
Did I, at any point, say his career was finished? I just made an observation.
Yasmani, it’s clear what you meant. There’s nothing wrong with what you said.
Though few of us in the stands last night saw it the fact that he left the game with the ball was noticed. Whether he felt this might be the last baseball he throws in his career or just for the Dodgers, well, we’d just have to find out from Kershaw. But from a fan’s point of view, it’s ominous either way. I’ve been in the house for some big lasts, but that one would be sad and painful.
He also threw a 100mph fastball back when half the league wasn’t throwing 95mph +
I mentioned that to my wife, who is not a baseball fan but felt bad that this might be it for Clayton. It’s a reminder to fans to truly appreciate what guys like him bring to our lives because those times last forever. It’s a reason why I don’t ever knock Dodger players. They are like family to me and have given me more than a half-century of joy. Players come and go on the field, but they remain part of us forever. Some of the criticism he endured from fans wasn’t right. Unlike many people, he endured the fought back from the on-field disappointments and frequent physical pain to get the championship he wanted. A learning experience for all of us. His critics can take a hike.
Testify, brother Cey Hey. Today I am trying to come to grips with the idea that I might have been at the game where Clayton Kershaw threw his last pitch.
BlueSkies_LA, appreciate every player while we have them to root for. Too many Dodger fans haven’t done that during Kershaw’s era of dominance. It’s upsetting and embarrasses me as a Dodger fan. Some of the whining about these Friedman/Roberts Dodger teams makes my eyes roll. Without question, this is the greatest era in franchise history, and it’s not close to being over. If those fans can’t appreciate what these teams have accomplished, then Dodger baseball isn’t for them.
Going to games regularly gives a person a very different perspective on what the fans appreciate. The fan attachment to Kershaw is huge.
True. I guess it’s the horrendous Internet takes that get to me.
Likewise.
See you in July 2023 Clayton!
Sad, but probably true
If again…
An all time great pitcher and person
Oh, not the forearm. We usually know what that’s followed by.
Maybe Price can step in and hurl a few gems. That would be just fine. But, I have to admit I’m rooting for the Giants. After all, they have Y A Z.
Hate to see it. Always been a fan of kershaw. Pure class act. Was glad he finally won a ring. Hate seeing greats give so much to the game but never have the joy of hoisting a title.
Now starts Kershaw’s one year at a time contracts. He is officially injury-prone.
This is unfortunate for Kershaw and I’m not trying to kick the guy while he’s down but this goes back to a point I made on here a couple months ago. I think this latest injury makes it an even easier decision for the Dodgers to part ways with him this winter. I see them paying Scherzer instead and moving on
If you’re the Dodgers, you don’t “move on” from Kershaw. The idea is ludicrous.
Look at all the players they have hitting free agency in the coming years and you’ll see that paying big money to keep an injury prone and aging Kershaw is a bad idea
I see no such thing, and I’m pretty sure virtually no Dodger fans, or management, would either. If his career did not end last night a way will be found for him keep as a Dodger for life. Maybe you should let the team worry about the money.
Clearly this is a sore subject for you. I’m not a Dodgers fan so I don’t have any sort of attachment to Kershaw. My point though is that assuming they re sign Scherzer, they will still have plenty of good rotation options. You have to realize that they can’t roll with a payroll north of $250M on a yearly basis. Letting Kershaw walk and using that money in other areas is the smart play
Not only will the Dodgers not let Kershaw walk, but they will continue to compete for championships. This year’s payroll was a one-time thing. If you look closely at what’s on the books in the coming years, they are in great shape in that regard. Meanwhile, the conveyer belt of drafting and developing Major League talent continues, even though they draft near the end of every round every year. Other teams get the high draft picks, but the Dodgers wind up producing the best players. Best franchise in the game not only in terms of drafting and developing players but in properly compensating them and respecting icons like Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers payroll for next year is already over $100M and that’s before arbitration cases and signing anyone from the group of Scherzer, Kershaw, Seager, Taylor, and Jansen. Plus Turner is a free agent next year and Buehler and Urias aren’t too far away from free agency. Nobody is denying that the Dodgers are great at developing talent. But to that point wouldn’t it make sense to not pay big money to Kershaw when they’d still have a strong rotation without him and have a couple intriguing arms coming up?
Your entire comment makes very little sense. Right now at this very moment we’re waiting to find out if one greatest pitchers of this generation will ever throw another pitch and you’re talking about the Dodgers moving on from him as if it doesn’t matter. Bizarre. Are you a baseball fan at all?
You’re wildly insufferable. You’re the Dodgers version of MetsFan.
BlueSkies, Some fans look at statistics and dollar amounts and forget players are people. Thankfully, the Dodger organization doesn’t look at things that way. You and I know the franchise will do the right thing by Clayton Kershaw the person. As rough as that scene was last night, it’s nice to see Clayton kibitzing with Doc in the dugout tonight. The dugout stuff is one of my favorite aspects of Dodger telecasts. Nice to have Joe and Orel back tonight as well.
Actually, it’s Nomar and not Orel.
There is a very slim chance this is a career threatening injury. Worst case scenario is Kershaw misses next season while recovering from TJ surgery. People like you need to realize that at the end of the day baseball is a business and a big part of running a successful business is knowing when to move on
People like who?
Of course baseball is a business, and we are the customers for that business. All you need to know to understand how Kershaw is good for the Dodgers business is to take a seat in Dodger Stadium on a night he pitches, or even on one where he doesn’t. This is something “people like you” have probably never done.
Further, you have no idea whether this injury is career threatening or not. Kershaw has said more than once that he will quit when he believes he can no longer contribute. When does that happen? We don’t know, do we?
@Cey Hey. They forget that fans are people, too, and fans are loyal to their teams for a variety of reasons, and by no means are they all about statistics. In fact probably least of all. Around here maybe but not in general. When it comes right down to it, Kershaw is more valuable to the Dodgers than any other team in baseball. The player knows it, the team knows it, and the fans know it. I don’t feel the need to make any special allowances for fans around here who don’t know it.
If Kershaw ends up under the knife, he would miss his entire age 34 season. If he decided he wanted to make a comeback at age 35 I am certain the Dodgers would find a way to allow him to finish his career in Dodger blue. A performance-based contract like the one he’s on now seems highly likely. If the testing comes back clean and he only needs some months of healing, then the arrangement is probably much the same, but a year sooner.
Hello darkness my old friend…
I think they may a run at Max big time and QO Kershaw. Kershaw could very well Ned TJ. If he does, could be ready for 2023. As stated above, maybe after TJ he regains back some feet he lost.
If he’s done for 2022 he won’t get anything this offseason.
He’ll get a 2 year deal knowing he will miss 2022 and its essentially a prove it 2023 deal. Garrett Richards, Josh Johnson come to mind as pitchers whove done that. He may get a 2 year 20 mill offer which in essence is a 1 year 20 mill offer.
He’ll get way more than 20 mill./2 years, starting with QO from the Dodgers.
Dodgers spent $71m on two pitchers that threw a combined 238 innings. And $1m more Cole Hamels to get injured in a simulated game.
I wish Kershaw the best, but he’s not exactly Bumgarner in the playoffs. Losing Buehler or Scherzer for the playoffs would have been much, much worse. Kind of dumb that SF’s reward for having the best record in baseball might be a 1st round matchup with the 2nd best team. The top team in each league should be able to choose their opponent.
Or they could not seed the 4 playoff teams until after the wild card spot is decided. Then 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 based on regular season wins.
That could work, too, but I think it’d be more entertaining to wonder who the top team picks with matchups. Plus, let’s say a team is pretty good through 150 games, then has bad injury luck. The league’s best team might rather face them than a healthy team with a worse record, especially if that team is hot.
Second best team? Or team with the second best record?
TJS
I’m a Giants fan who has mad respect for Kershaw. Man has worked his butt off for the Dodgers & Dodger fans should show him respect
The vast majority do. These boards are not at all representative of the fans. Kershaw got a standing ovation from the fans last night knowing it might have been the last appearance of a player who has been the heart of this franchise for over ten years. It was a very emotional moment. I guarantee you not one Dodger fan in that sellout crowd doesn’t want to see him come back and finish out his career with the Dodgers.
Not being a troll here. Kershaw won’t be missed in the playoffs. He is like Greg Maddox. Great regular season pitcher but something just happens in the playoffs. Still a first ballot Hall of Farmer. The 8 regular season titles mean nothing like the Braves 15 postseason in a row and 1 title. Never thought of an all time great team. Dodgers the same way. They are half way to 15 which is a possibility with their President Friedman at the helm. He is just like he was in Tampa. Aways a bridesmaid never a bride. Sorry I also don’t count a season of a 40% games played as a true champion. They didn’t grind thru 162. There is a little difference between a 60 game and 162. 154 is comparable. Sorry Dodger fan the Commish might recognize it and you fans but we all know it was just a money grab.
Maddux. He has a 3.27 ERA in the postseason. If you throw out his appearances with the Dodgers when he was in his 40s, his ERA was right at 3.00. I don’t think any team would complain about a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA.
It’s sad how some people go out of their way to be negative about great players. I hesitate to call those people baseball fans. Gotta be some kind of personality disorder. Whatever it is, it’s not a smart take.
Nope they wouldn’t just stating the facts. Great HOF pitcher first ballot like I said. Just not good as his regular season record in the playoffs.
If Kershaw has to have Tommy John surgery will he retire? If he retires is he a HOF? I think so.
A first ballot cinch. I’m not sure why you would even need to ask that question.
Not sure why you would have to be a putz about it. Its a question. No such thing as a bad question. He only has 14 seasons and 185 wins, so its valid when very few with less than 300 wins are in. JAWS has him in but a borderline HOF.
JAWS
Starting Pitcher (34th):
71.9 career WAR | 49.7 7yr-peak WAR | 60.8 JAWS | 6.4 WAR/162
Average HOF P (out of 65):
73.3 career WAR | 50.0 7yr-peak WAR | 61.7 JAWS | 4.5 WAR/162
So I figured I would ask if others agreed with me that he should get in no matter what he does after 2021.
There are only 24 pitchers in MLB history with 300 or more wins.
There are such things as bad questions. Yours was one.
That was a pretty rude response. The answers to some questions are obvious, that was the point. The HOF is not a numbers game. In fact performance is only one of the voting criteria. The only way he hurts his first ballot case is if he tries to hang onto the game beyond the point where he is competitive. Not going to happen. He’s already made it clear he will hang it up the moment he believes he can no longer contribute to his team. And that BTW is one of the HOF criteria. Two of them, even.
Yes, he’s in if he never throws another pitch
That is what I think too.
His ERA and WHIP are the lowest among starters in the live-ball era with at least 1,000 innings pitched. And while the pitcher win unfortunately hasn’t been scrubbed from the record books (yet) the voters seem to finally be seeing the light these past few years and don’t place as much importance on it as they once did. And he finally got his ring last year. No reason to believe he won’t make it.