September 20th, 2022 at 8:30 am 
by Ron Cervenka When 34-year-old Dodgers ace and future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw went on the Injured List for lower back pain on August 5, 2022, he was 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA on the season.
In his four starts since returning from the IL on September 1, he has gone 2-0 with an ERA of 1.50 ERA, bringing his season numbers to 9-3 with a 2.39 ERA.
in other words, the nine-time All-Star, three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, five-time ERA title winner, Gold Glove winner, and 2014 MLB Player of the Year has still got it, even after 15 major league seasons.
On Monday night against the NL West fourth place Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, the Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX was absolutely Kershaw-like, allowing only one run on six hits, with no walks and 10 strikeouts in his 6.0 innings pitched. It was the 68th time in his career that Kershaw has struck out 10 batters.
(Jon SooHoo)
“Just across the board, Clayton was, you know, I thought that first inning set the tone for tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame of Kershaw’s brilliant outing. “Just the way he attacked, and I know he always does that, but that first inning was different. And I thought, tonight, just overall how he managed the strike zone, just really methodical, and just really fun to watch tonight.”
“I feel great. Physically, I feel great and I’m in a good spot,” said Kershaw. “Overall, right now I feel good with it and I have a couple more until October so that’s good.”
“He’s been good all year. For him it’s just a matter of staying healthy,” echoed Dodgers designated hitter Chris Taylor. “Tonight, it was good to see a lot of swings and misses. When he’s good, he really has that slider working and we saw a lot of swing and miss with that tonight.”
As for the recently-struggling Taylor, he, too, had a good night on Monday. Although the 32-year-old Virginia Beach, VA native went 1-for-3 at the plate that included his team-leading 150th strikeout of the season, he also slugged his 10th home run of the season – a three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth inning – to give the Kershaw and the Dodgers a (then) 4-0 lead in their eventual 5-2 win over the D-backs.
With the win, their 102nd of the season, the Dodgers clinched a bye for the first round of the 2022 postseason.
Yes, Clayton Kershaw very much has still got it.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
I admire how Kershaw has evolved over the years, compensating the regression of his fastball velocity with great command, changing speeds, location, and of course his devastating “cutter slider.”
I giggle every time he throws Uncle Charlie in there for a strike.
it is a thing of beauty
do you guys have the search capabilities to see how many times kersh has left the game with a lead and not got the win? i’m sure it’s gone both ways but i seem to recall a couple of years where our BP was just so bad that no lead was safe.
(this year i only feel that way when one guy climbs the mound)
That is a really good question. I will try to find the answer
Jesse,
since my previously scheduled plans for Tuesday and Wednesday fell through(…)
i went ahead and dug into the files.
here’s what i came up with;
whether he left with a lead, tie or deficit,
34 times Kersh was in line for a win prior to another pitcher taking the ball.
(there were a couple of times the team took the lead in their half and another pitcher started the next frame)
of those 18 were team wins and 16 were team losses
in addition to these 34 starts, i found 11 more where he pitched at least five innings, gave up 0 ER, but received zero support.
of these, 6 were team wins and 5 were team losses.
in a perfect world he could have picked up another 45 wins
with out looking, i am certain that there were times he left with a deficit and the team took him off the hook as well.
that wasn’t the topic, but I’m sure someone would have brought it up.
Unfortunately, the only way I can find the answer to your question is go through every box score of Kershaw starts. That will take some time, a good project for me when the winter conditions keep me inside.
if you’re feeling so inclined, i would love to know what you come up with.
it just seems like he should be well beyond 200 wins by now.
well, that’s a rabbit hole i may have to dive down my self. i just looked at his first start in 08, he pitches 6, is in position to win a 3-2 game and the pen coughs it up in the 7th.
and so it had begun…
i suspect we’re on opposite coasts as my seasons are defined by professional sports more than the weather, but i may need to find some time for this.
Jalex – that first game is a perfect example. Kershaw was in line for victory when Dodgers took the lead (3-2) while he was still pitcher of record, but Jonathan Broxton was “credited” with a blown save when Cardinals tied the game in the 7th (from the box score it appears that Cory Wade put the tying run on base). Saito got the win when Dodgers scored winning run in bottom of 10th.
So do I.
My favorite pitch, the slow arching curve
Watching the batter come out of his shoes swinging at it