The Opener: Kershaw, AL West, Alonso

Here are three things to keep an eye on around baseball this weekend…

1. Kershaw’s Dodger Stadium farewell:

Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw is officially calling it a career after the 2025 season, and Friday evening marks what will be the final home start of his storied career. In somewhat fitting fashion, it’ll come against the Dodgers’ archrivals from San Francisco — and not only that, but against another former Cy Young winner. The Giants will send left-hander Robbie Ray to the mound opposite Kershaw as the two teams clash in a series that carries major playoff implications. Kershaw and the Dodgers hold a three-game lead on the Padres for the NL West lead, while Ray and the Giants are clinging to the faint hope of closing a three-game deficit (and leapfrogging two other teams)  in the NL Wild Card chase with nine games left to play.

Of course, Kershaw could and very likely will take the ball at home for the Dodgers at some point during the postseason, but tonight’s game currently stands as the final scheduled appearance for the three-time Cy Young winner, five-time NL ERA leader, 11-time All-Star and 2014 NL MVP. Fans will surely greet him with a hero’s welcome and send him off with overwhelming adulation befitting of a genuine franchise icon.

2. Aces clash in a battle for the AL West:

The American League West is the most tightly contested division in baseball. Yesterday’s Mariners win bumped them to 84-69 on the season — the same mark held by the Astros. The M’s now travel to Houston for a three-game series that could very well determine the winner of the division, and it kicks off with a must-see matchup between each club’s best starter of the 2025 season. Seattle sends righty Bryan Woo (3.02 ERA, 26.8 K%, 4.9 BB%, 181 2/3 innings pitched) to the mound against Houston righty Hunter Brown (2.27 ERA, 28.2 K%, 7.8 BB%, 174 1/3 innings pitched). Brown was practically invincible at home in the season’s first three months, but he’s yielded four or more runs in three of his past seven starts at Daikin Park. Woo has been much better at home (2.44 ERA) than on the road (3.58 ERA) — but he also hasn’t surrendered more than three runs in a start since before the trade deadline.

The series will continue with another pair of high-profile starters Saturday, when Mariners righty George Kirby tangles with Astros lefty Framber Valdez. Sunday’s finale will pit Mariners righty Logan Gilbert against journeyman right-hander Jason Alexander, whose stunning 2.76 ERA in 11 starts for the Astros has been a season-saving godsend in the wake of injuries to Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski.

3. A red-hot … Polar Bear?

There’s something mildly amusing about one of the hottest hitters in baseball being nicknamed after an arctic animal, but the Mets’ recent opponents probably haven’t been laughing much. Pete Alonso is doing his best to singlehandedly stave off the Mets’ late-season collapse, homering in four consecutive games — three of which were Mets victories. It’s not just the past four games where the Polar Bear has been on a tear, however. Over his past 98 trips to the plate, Alonso is slashing a ridiculous .333/.367/.656 with eight home runs and five doubles. It’s a Herculean finish to a resurgent season for a player who’s been the National League’s most prodigious slugger dating back to his 2019 debut.

Alonso’s mammoth finish only further ensures that he’ll opt out of his two-year contract at season’s end. He’ll return to the open market on the heels of a much better season than his 2024 campaign — and do so without the encumbrance of a qualifying offer, as players can only receive one QO in their career. Alonso and the Mets currently hold a two-game lead over the Reds and D-backs (three games over the Giants) in the NL Wild Card race. They’ll host a home series against the last-place Nationals before heading to Chicago and Miami to close out the year with three game sets versus the Cubs and Marlins.