Calling it a career after 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers created a slew of big feelings for longtime ace Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers left-hander addressed his emotions and also why he felt it was time for him to call it a career Thursday, before his final regular-season outing at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the rival San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw opened is press conference by spending more than four minutes thanking members of his family and the Dodgers support staff. He became emotional throughout but especially when closing with a thank you to his wife, Ellen, especially since she spent the bulk of the time with their four kids.
The superstar starting pitcher is one of the greatest Dodgers pitchers of all time, sitting first in career WAR (80.4) according to Baseball-Reference and strikeouts (3,039) while sitting in the top-three in Dodgers history in numerous other pitching categories.
Why Did Clayton Kershaw Become Emotional?
Aside from thanking his teammates and family, Kershaw also choked up midway through his availability when asked what accomplishment he was most proud of.
“I think we all play this game for the respect of our teammates,” Kershaw said. “Having these guys here [at the press conference] is pretty special.”
He also got misty eyed when asked about spending his whole career — all 18 seasons, which tied a Dodgers franchise record for pitchers — in Los Angeles.
“That’s been amazing,” Kershaw said. “I’ve loved being here. I wouldn’t change that for anything. My kids have grown up here. We’ve all grown up here. It’s been a special place.”
What Did Clayton Kershaw Say About Retiring?
Kershaw has pitched well this year (10-2, 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 71 strikeouts in 102 innings), earning an All-Star Game appearance.
Yet, when asked why this was the time to hang up his cleats, Kershaw said it was something he and his wife had sort of felt all year.
“I just felt it was the right time,” Kershaw said. “Honestly, Ellen had a lot to do with it. She talked to me, and it just felt like everything had come together.”
In terms of the timing for the announcement, mere hours before the Dodgers opened their final home series of the year, Kershaw felt that was right too.
“We have another month to play, and we have a ton of great pitchers and everybody’s role is kind of up in the air. But I didn’t want this opportunity to pass by,” Kershaw said. “It felt like the right thing to do.”
Kershaw bristled at the idea of going out “on his own terms,” but he did say his great health and success has given him closure.
“Usually we wait ’til the off-season to make a final call, but I think almost going into the season we knew this was gonna be it,” Kershaw said. “I didn’t want to say anything in case I changed my mind, but over the course of the season, just how grateful I am to be healthy and be out on the mound and be able to pitch, I think it made it obvious that this was a good sending-off point, and it is.
“I’ve had the best time this year. It’s been a blast.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw Sends Emotional Message After Retirement Announcement appeared first on Heavy Sports.