Although Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw didn’t get the win on Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, he should have. Unfortunately, the Dodgers bats didn’t come alive until the 33-year-old Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX had left the game after six solid innings and 83 pitches, during which he allowed only two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out eight in the eventual 4-2 Dodgers win.

As is normally the case after every game, that day’s starting pitcher has a postgame Zoom press conference with members of the media. As is also usually the case with Kershaw, he immediately diverts the attention onto his teammates, giving them full credit above his own successes.

On this night, Kershaw was asked about the great outing by Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and about new Dodger Albert Pujols. True to form, Kershaw went full-Kershaw on them.

“Kenley looks great right now, so I’m happy for him; I’m happy for our team; that’s big'” Kershaw said. “It’s feeling pretty automatic when he gets the ball right now, so that’s a great feeling. And then on the sentimentality part or whatever you want to call it, there’s I don’t know how many games that I’ve started and Kenley’s closed now, but it’s cool to see him have that success and have that longevity, and it’s always good to know that he’s ending the game that you pitch in.”

On Wednesday night, Jansen retired all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth, striking out two of them to earn his eighth save of the season and his record-setting 321st with the same franchise.

And then there’s that Pujols guy; yet another future Hall of Famer.

“It’s been awesome,” Kershaw said when asked what it’s been like sharing the clubhouse with the 41-year-old/21-year MLB veteran. “I think you take for granted the experience factor that just seeing a guy like Albert Pujols in your clubhouse; it’s a great feeling. And then his track record speaks for itself, but just the attitude and personality that he’s bringing to the clubhouse every day. He seems really really excited to be here in his role, and he’s a wealth of knowledge. He’s going to help a lot of our young guys on the bench try to figure out how to do that. And then there’s something to be said when he comes up to bat with guys on base; you know there’s no panic or no stress in him, he knows exactly what he can do.

“He said it himself; he’s got a lot left in the tank. He still hits the ball really really hard. So I think it’s a great pick-up for us. You know, I’ve known him a little bit off and on over the years, but I just have a tremendous amount of respect for him and everything he’s done, just as a person as well.”

Like they used to say in those old E.F. Hutton commercial – When Clayton Kershaw speaks, people listen.

Play Ball!

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