It is safe to say that there were many Dodgers fans who were terrified that soon-to-be (on March 19) 36-year-old free agent future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw would not re-sign with the only MLB team he has ever played for during his 16-year Cooperstown-bound career.

However, it is also safe to say that there were as many (or more) Dodgers fans who never had even the slightest doubt that he would, and for one very simple reason – total and unconditional respect.

As every Dodgers fan knows, the extremely popular Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in Dallas became – and remains – very close friends with Dodgers Hall of Fame left-hander Sandy Koufax, who spent his entire 12-year MLB career with the Dodgers – three in Brooklyn and nine in Los Angeles. So close are these two southpaws that Koufax, who deservedly owns the nickname ‘The Left Arm of God,’ can occasionally be spotted in the stands when Kershaw is on the mound at Dodger Stadium.

As longtime fans know, baseball changed forever on New Year’s Eve 1974, when Hall of Fame right-hander Catfish Hunter became MLB’s first Free Agent. Since then, and as a result of the insane amount of money and years being demanded by – and given to – today’s free agents, it is rare, almost unheard of, for a Major League player to remain with one team for their entire career. It just doesn’t happen anymore like it did back in the Koufax/Drysdale days. As such, when Kershaw became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2023 season, there were widespread rumors and much speculation that the Dallas native, with his (thus far) 210-92 career record and 2.48 career ERA, might accept a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers so that he could be closer to his (growing) family; this despite having undergone glenohumeral ligaments and capsule surgery on his left shoulder on November 3, 2023, and unlikely to pitch in a Major League game again until midway through the 2024 season.

That being said, when asked if he would like to re-sign Kershaw for the 2024 season knowing that he would spend at least half of it on the IL, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman told reporters that the team “absolutely” would welcome him back when he is healthy.

“We are very respectful of Clayton and Ellen’s decision and giving them the time and space to make the best decision for their family,” Friedman explained. “But selfishly, we hope it’s to continue and finish his career in Dodger Blue.”

Lo and behold, this showed up on social media (X.com) on Tuesday morning:

A short while later, the LA Times posted this, which put a huge smile on the faces of those Dodgers fans who never had even the slightest doubt that Kershaw would return and, in all likelihood, retire as a Dodger:

And though we will (probably) never know for sure, it might have been because that’s what his mentor, close friend, and the other ‘Left Arm of God’ did.

Play Ball!

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