Clayton Kershaw returns to mound for Dodgers 3 days after death of his mother
Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound Tuesday in his first outing for the Los Angeles Dodgers since the death of his mother, Marianne, on Saturday.
The outing was brief for the three-time Cy Young winner. He pitched four innings against the Minnesota Twins, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven. He left the game after 90 pitches and took the loss as the Twins held on for a 5-1 win.
Kershaw opted to pitch in his scheduled spot in the rotation three days after his mother's death. He didn't address the subject pregame. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday of Kershaw's plan to pitch.
“He’s doing OK,” Roberts told reporters. “I’m sure this is a day he has a heavy heart. But as far as I understand, he’ll make his start on Tuesday.”
Following the game, Kershaw said he intends to make his next start in St. Louis, and he thanked fans for the condolences.
Clayton Kershaw: "I just want to say thank you, everybody, for the condolences this week. Fans, everybody reaching out. It's been humbling to see how many people reached out, and I'm thankful for that. She was a great lady. Just thank you to everybody that's reached out."
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) May 17, 2023
Kershaw's wife, Ellen, spoke Saturday about what Marianne meant to Kershaw and his development as a baseball player.
"One person in particular cultivated that love in Clayton, his dear mama, Marianne, who moved mountains to get him to baseball practice and games," Ellen said. "She sat front row, cheering him on, not so subtly, and would keep score in a book to keep her nerves at bay. ...
“She experienced no greater joy than watching her son grow into the man, the philanthropist, the father and the ball player that he is today.”
Kershaw remains one of baseball's best pitchers at 35 years old. He entered Tuesday's start sporting a 2.36 ERA and 0.946 WHIP with 56 strikeouts and 10 walks in 49 2/3 innings.
