LOS ANGELES ā Clayton Kershaw, sidelined since late August with a toe injury, wonāt pitch again this season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
āThis is it for Clayton for 2024,ā manager Dave Roberts said Saturday before Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
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A 36-year-old left-hander, Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and 10-time All-Star. He didn't pitch until July 25 after having offseason shoulder surgery. He went on the injured list Aug. 31 with a bone spur in his left big toe.
āClayton has done everything he can to keep this thing moving forward and giving himself a chance to participate in the postseason,ā Roberts said. āBut where heās at right now, physically, the foot, the toe just is not cooperating. Itās actually getting worse.ā
Kershaw had been left off the Dodgers' NLDS roster earlier Saturday before Roberts confirmed that his season was over.
āIt's not getting better so I canāt pitch,ā he said during batting practice Saturday.
Kershaw was asked if needs surgery, which he initially said he had been told wouldn't be necessary.
āItās definitely in the conversation,ā he said, ābut I havenāt solidified anything yet, but thereās a chance I might need to fix it.ā
Because of his toe, Kershaw couldnāt pitch the way he wanted to and other areas of his body were overcompensating for it.
āI had to keep my arm going,ā he said. āBy doing that, I probably made this worse but I had to try it.ā
Kershaw was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts.
He had been eager to redeem himself after last yearās stunning postseason debacle. Kershaw got hammered by Arizona in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, giving up six hits and six runs in the first inning.
His postseason ERA is 4.22 over 194 innings pitched. His regular-season ERA of 2.48 is the best of any MLB pitcher with at least 1,500 innings pitched since 1920.
āIt stinks heās not going to be able to pitch for us,ā catcher Will Smith said. āHeāll be here every day I know cheering us on, being in the clubhouse, helping us out whatever way he can.ā
Kershaw signed a one-year contract in February plus a 2025 player option worth $5 million. He said he'll consider his future in the offseason.
āI donāt want to keep getting hurt all the time, itās not fun to do that, but I also really love to pitch, too,ā he said. āJust got to weigh everything.ā
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB