adminLos Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, 35, made a successful comeback despite not going the distance.
Kershaw allowed one run on three hits (one home run) with four strikeouts in five innings of work against the Colorado Rockies on June 11 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Kershaw, who hadn’t pitched in over a month due to a left shoulder injury, made his first start in 44 days since June 28, when he pitched six innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts in a no-decision against Colorado. He threw 67 pitches and used a slider (27), four-seam (26), curve (11) and changeup (3). His fastball reached 92.2 miles per hour (148.4 km/h).
Kershaw cruised through four scoreless innings before giving up a solo home run to Eleuris Montero in the bottom of the fifth inning on a three-pitch 84.8 mph (136.5 km/h) slider. The slider sailed a little too high up the middle, and Montero didn’t miss it. Other than the home run, Kershaw didn’t allow a run on the night.
MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, deemed Kershaw’s return a success, saying, “After missing more than a month with a shoulder injury, Kershaw looked little different than the pitcher who led the National League before the injury.”
“It’s great to be back,” Kershaw said. I’ve been wanting to play with my teammates for a while, and I’ve been wanting to help the team win, so it’s been great. It was good to be back in the ballpark, it was good to be back in Dodger Stadium, and you don’t take these opportunities for granted.”
Kershaw’s pitch count wasn’t high at 67 pitches (45 for strikes), but Kershaw emphasized that going five innings was more important. He only threw four innings in his last simulated game. “For the Dodgers, five innings was enough for Kershaw, who hasn’t pitched in an official game since June 28, because it’s important for him to be healthy through October,” MLB.com wrote.바카라사이트
Manager Dave Roberts, who admitted to watching Kershaw’s return from injury with bated breath, said, “I just thought we needed to make sure he was able to pitch consistently every five or six days. I know how much Kershaw wants to contribute to this team. I don’t think he needs to do it all. He only pitched five innings today. But we were able to score late in the game. All in all, it was a good day,” he said of Kershaw’s comeback.