Dodgers ace and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw celebrated his 36th birthday back on March 19. And while 36 certainly isn’t considered old for most people, in baseball years, it’s nearing senior citizenship.

In Monday’s start against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, old Clayton Kershaw showed the 33,628 on hand (and millions more watching on television and listening on radio) exactly why he is a 10-time All-Star, five-time ERA title holder, three-time Cy Young Award winner, World Series Champion, former MLB MVP, and former MLB Player of the Year.

All old Clayton Kershaw did on Monday was allow one run on three hits, while walking two and striking out six, in his old Kershaw-like 5.2 innings pitched; this en route to his first win since returning from surgery on November 3 to repair ligaments in his left shoulder capsule. He was every bit vintage Clayton Kershaw.

Without question, the biggest of those six strikeouts was his five-pitch strikeout (looking) of Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell, after having fallen behind 2-0 in the count and after which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game, having made 83 pitches (56 strikes).

“I fell behind 2-0 and I needed to make some pitches there,” Kershaw told SportsNet LA’s David Vassegh, following the Dodgers 5-2 win over the Brewers. “And yeah, that last one clipped the corner there down and away, so it was a good spot to get the strikeout there.”

As Dodger fans painfully know, the Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in Dallas lost two of his first three starts, with one no-decision. As a result, his ERA soared to an un-Kershaw-like 4.46, with a combined three walks and 11 strikeouts. With his win and one earned run allowed in his 5.2 innings of work on Monday, his record is now 1-2 and his ERA a more respectable 3.50.

As for those five Dodgers runs on Monday, two came on a third-inning home run by Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts in his first game back from the IL for a fractured finger. The second two came on a fifth-inning two-run home run by Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, and their fifth on a seventh-inning Betts RBI single to right field.

Kershaw summed up Monday’s game best:

“It was a good game for us tonight all the way around.”

Good indeed.

Play Ball!

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