The last time 36-year-old Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw pitched in a regular season Major League game was against the San Francisco Giants on September 30, 2023 at Pac Bell AT&T Oracle Park, and the very last time he pitched was in Game-1 of the 2023 NLDS on October 7, 2023 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.

…until Thursday afternoon.

In his first regular season game since undergoing glenohumeral ligaments and capsule surgery on his left shoulder on November 3, 2023, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer made his first regular season start against the (wait for it…) San Francisco Giants in front of a sold out Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,291 on Thursday, this after having made three Minor League rehab starts.

“Yeah, it meant a lot, I think, just from the first time, you know, having surgery, to the rehab process, to be able to get back out there in Dodger Stadium is something I thought about for a long time, so it meant a lot, it meant a lot,” the extremely popular Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in Dallas said following his four-inning start.

Kershaw’s return to action lasted four innings, during which he allowed two runs on four hits, having made 72 pitches, of which 47 were strikes. And though the unofficial Dodgers clubhouse leader walked two Giants batters, he also strukout two, including Giants first baseman David Viillar on on three pitches in the top of the second inning that included his famous – and unhittable – ‘Uncle Charlie’ curveball.

“Didn’t it look right to have him back out there?” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked rhetorically with a huge smile following his team’s 6-4 win over The Hated Ones. “I thought we pushed him enough to get him ready for his next one, where we can continue to build and we got a nice foundation. It’s been such a long, you know, road for him back, and umm, I’m just happy for him, I’m happy for his family, and for the fans to get to see one of the greats.

“I tried not to put too much expectations on, you know, what we were gonna get from him, but I think it was as good as a result and of his stuff and performance as I could have hoped for,” Roberts added.

Welcome Back Kid-K!

Play Ball!

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