According to the Orange County Register, a local newspaper in California, the U.S. on the 22nd, Kershaw said, I don’t know if this year will be the last for the Dodgers. 먹튀검증 I really don’t know. There are too many variables, he replied. He then said, I understand what people are asking, but it’s a little uncomfortable. I don’t want the attention to be focused on me. I’ll tell you if there’s an answer. I don’t know yet either, he said repeatedly.
Another local newspaper, The LA Times, also said, Next month could be the last month for Kershaw to play for the Dodgers. Kershaw, 35, could either become an FA this offseason or opt to retire,’ he said. Kershaw said, I only think about winning the World Series. I’ll put aside all personal matters. I always do everything with the thought of the last home game and the last playoff, he said, regarding the possibility of moving to his hometown team Texas, Emotions can change. I sometimes think about it, but I won’t think about it until the end of the season, he stressed.
Kershaw renewed his one-year contract with the Dodgers for two consecutive years after the 2021 season. He renewed his contract with the Dodgers with an annual salary of $17 million in 2022 and an annual salary of $20 million this year. Rumors of an active retirement or transfer to his hometown team, the Texas Rangers, have flowed at this time of year as he signed a short-term contract for a year, but the conclusion has always been to stay with the Dodgers.
I started thinking about the same thing around the same time this year. There has been a real love call in Texas over the past few years, but Kershaw remained with the Dodgers. For Kershaw, who has become a Dodgers one-club man, the option of transfer has almost been eliminated. Now, only attention is being paid to whether he will extend his active duty. At this time last year, he quelled the rumor of retirement, saying, I have leaned toward doing it for at least another year, but this year is different.
He has also been active in 22 games 121 ⅓ innings this season with 12 wins and 4 losses and a 2.52 ERA, 127 strikeouts, but he is putting a little more weight on his retirement. If the Dodgers won again last year, they might have retired, Kershaw said in an interview with USA Today Sports in July, adding, We have four children and a wife, so we have to consider many factors. The decision was easy last year, but I honestly don’t know this year, he said, expressing his willingness to retire.
Above all, the condition of the left shoulder is not normal. Kershaw, who had a month-long hiatus after going on the injured list due to shoulder pain at the end of June, saw his ball speed drop noticeably after returning to the team in mid-June. Concerns grew as the maximum speed was only 89.9 miles 144.7 kilometers against the Miami Marlins on the 6th, and it was known that he was still dealing with pain after returning from injury.
Kershaw’s speed fell further to 89.5 miles 144.0km against the Seattle Mariners on the 17th, when he skipped the rotation once and took a 10-day break. He has pitched well with two wins and an ERA of 2.42 in six games since his return, but all of them have pitched less than five innings to prevent the recurrence of injuries. I’m hanging on to it, but it’s close.
According to the Orange County Register, Kershaw acknowledged that the key is whether he can be in a physical condition to handle the full-time season next season. After entering his 30s, he suffered from major and minor injuries every year, so he was very tired. If you don’t stand up anymore, you have no choice but to retire. If the Dodgers win the World Series, the possibility of retirement will be even higher.
Kershaw, who has been in the Dodgers for 16 years since his debut in 2008, has 209 wins and 91 losses in 423 games 420 starts, 2702 ⅓ innings and a 2.48 strikeouts and 2,934 ERA. He has achieved everything he can as a player, including three Cy Young Awards, one MVP, five first-place ERA, 10 All-Stars, and a World Series title. Even if he retires right away, he is sure to enter the Hall of Fame.
Kershaw will start the home game against the San Francisco Giants on the 24th. The Dodgers’ last home game of the regular season this year. It could be Kershaw’s last appearance at Dodger Stadium in the regular season.