Clayton Kershaw Failed Again
Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw was the chosen one. He was the physical freak and the ace. However, what happened in the NLDS vs the Diamondbacks is unforgivable.
The Hype
Clayton Kershaw was named the 2006 High School Baseball Player of the Year by USA Today. A Texas magazine called Texas Monthly said in 2008 that “if Josh Beckett is the next Roger Clemens, this six-foot-three-inch lefty with the 96 miles-per-hour fastball could be the next Josh Beckett.” The statement put enormous praise on Kershaw.
Entering the 2006 MLB Draft, Clayton Kershaw was considered the consensus top high school pitcher. He committed to Texas A&M University but opted to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being selected 7th overall. He earned a $2.3 million signing bonus which helped that decision.
Fast forward to Clayton Kershaw’s Major League Baseball career, and he has been exceptional in the regular season. He has been a 10-time All-Star, won the 2014 NL MVP award, and has captured 3 Cy Young nods. To his credit, he also won the 2020 World Series.
The Damning Truth
As great as those accomplishments are, has Clayton Kershaw played as advertised? Has he lived up to expectations? The answer is absolutely not. One could argue that his postseason performances make his career a failure. Does it seem harsh? However, when the media prematurely anoints an athlete as the next greatest thing, the athlete is expected to be great.
Clayton Kershaw’s 2020 World Series championship came in an MLB season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like it or not, sports is about winning championships. Kershaw has constantly fallen short when it matters most, and 2023 was certainly no exception. Aaron Crouch of the A.M. Drive said “something would go seriously wrong if the Braves and Dodgers didn’t meet in the NLCS.” The NLDS went sideways. It was a sight all too familiar to Dodgers fans: another Clayton Kershaw master(cl)ass.