“Kershaw cannot retire,” and despite PS’ shocking poor performance of 6 runs in ⅓ innings,
‘Living legend’ Clayton Kershaw (35, LA Dodgers) is reportedly considering retirement. Then, another Major League Baseball (MLB) legend, Pedro Martinez (52), tried to dissuade him from doing so.
Martinez asserted on his SNS on the 12th (Korean time), "Kershaw's retirement should not be determined by just one fall baseball appearance."
Martinez, who swept the major leagues from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, is a player who has won numerous trophies, including three Cy Young Awards, first place in ERA five times, and eight-time All-Star. With a total of 219 wins, a 2.93 ERA, and 3,154 strikeouts, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his powerful impact. Martinez, who played for the Dodgers from 1992 to 1993, is also Kershaw's team senior.
Martinez's remarks came on the same day as Kershaw's team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, ended their season. The Dodgers lost 2-4 in Game 3 of the 2023 National League Division Series (NLDS) against Arizona held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on this day, and were eliminated with a series record of 0 wins and 3 losses.
In this NLDS, the Dodgers appeared to be overwhelmed by Arizona, which had 16 wins in the regular season in both pitches and hits. None of the starting pitchers were able to complete even 3 innings, let alone 5 innings, and the Dodgers' boastful quartet of 100 RBIs (Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, JD Martinez, and Freddie Freeman) only had 1 RBI total in the series (Martinez's solo shot in Game 2).
But more than anything else, Kershaw's slump was the most shocking. He took the mound as a starting pitcher in Game 1 of the NLDS held on the 8th and collapsed, throwing only 35 pitches in ⅓ innings, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, and 6 runs. At the start of the game, he gave up 5 runs after hitting 5 consecutive batters, including timely hits by Corbin Carroll and Christian Walker and a three-run home run by Gabriel Moreno. Then, even after one out, he was hit by Evan Longoria at the right time and ended up going down the mound.
Kershaw, who entered the dugout, lowered his head and appeared to blame himself. The Dodgers, who started an unwinnable battle with their starting pitching collapsing from the beginning, ended up losing 2-11. And this trend continued until Game 3, where the Dodgers became Goliath defeated by David. Including this day's game, Kershaw's career postseason record was 13 wins, 13 losses, and an average ERA of 4.49 in 39 games (32 starts). It is a big difference from his career pennant race record (210 wins, 92 losses, ERA 2.48). Even so, this appearance was the worst of all.
Kershaw felt guilty. According to American media outlet Sportsnet LA, after the game, Kershaw appeared to blame himself, saying, "I let everyone down." He said with a dark expression, “I shouldn’t have pitched as a starter like that.”
Even his future plans for next year have become uncertain. The American media outlet The Athletic reported on the 13th, "When Kershaw was asked about his future, he replied, 'I don't know.' The result of the game on the 12th (the Los Angeles Dodgers' NLDS shutout loss) showed that despite excellent regular season performance, the team failed to advance to the World Series for the third consecutive year. "It meant a lot to a failing franchise. For Kershaw, this loss meant he needed to contemplate his end."
Last year, Kershaw rejected the multi-year contract offered by the Los Angeles Dodgers and signed a one-year, $20 million short-term contract. It was a one-year contract for the second consecutive year after the three-year, $93 million contract signed at the end of the 2018 season. The Athletic reported, "When the Dodgers, who won 111 wins in the regular season last year, were eliminated early in the postseason, Kershaw decided to return to the Dodgers (rather than through the free agent market) after a few days of discussion with his wife. However, this year is the time to decide on his future course." “It looks like it will take longer.”
But Martinez thought differently. He expressed his support through social media, saying, “Kershaw should finish his ‘Hall of Fame-level’ career on a grand note next season after fully recovering. He deserves it.”
The reason Martinez mentioned Kershaw's health was because of his shoulder problem. According to The Athletic, Kershaw will undergo further examination for the left shoulder injury suffered in late June. The decision four months ago to choose rehabilitation instead of surgery led to a decrease in fastball velocity and poor control. Some point out that this led to the catastrophe of this postseason.
Martinez himself has experienced nightmares in the past postseason. In 2003, when he was in Boston, he took the mound in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the New York Yankees and allowed two runs until the seventh inning, giving the team a three-run lead. However, he came up in the 8th inning and collapsed, giving up 3 runs. In the end, the team also hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, with the score tied 5-5, and their advance to the World Series was canceled. At the time, Boston was even more painful because it had not won a World Series in 85 years since 1918.
However, Martinez earned the starting win in Game 3 of the World Series against St. Louis the following year by pitching 7 scoreless innings, and Boston also enjoyed the thrill of breaking the so-called 'Curse of the Bambino' and winning the World Series. Kershaw's perspective may also be able to use a drama like this.