Clayton Kershaw isn’t what he was — but the Dodgers need him all the same

CLEVELAND — The flecks of gray in Clayton Kershaw’s beard matched the overcast Ohio sky as the 37-year-old lefty readied himself atop the mound.

At home plate stood Guardians leadoff man Steven Kwan, who was just 8 years old when the Dodgers drafted Kershaw in June 2006. For the first time in the third start of his 18th MLB season, the future Hall of Famer launched into his trademark herky-jerky windup. The fastball clipped the top of the zone, but was called a ball. Then came the more sobering truth, displayed on the Progressive Field scoreboard beside a smiling headshot of Kershaw:

89 miles per hour

Two decades ago, Kershaw was a can’t-miss prospect who regularly threw 95. The second strikeout of his career, for instance, came on a 97 mile per hour heater. But time, and the ailing it brings, has chipped away at Kershaw’s power. He has not touched 95 since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. On Wednesday, in Los Angeles’ 7-4 defeat against Cleveland, he topped out at 90.6 and averaged 89.4.

Such humbling realities come for every hurler, every human. The aches of aging are a bittersweet blessing — the price and the gift of still being here. That Kershaw is even playing at 37 is an accomplishment. But even in this reduced state, he can still be a useful, competent starter.

That was on display against the Guardians’ tame offense, as Kershaw covered five innings while surrendering just one run. It was an act of survival. He gave up six hits. He worked behind in counts. His command wavered. But he dodged disaster. If not for a Los Angeles bullpen implosion, Kershaw would have tallied career win No. 213 on Wednesday.

And for a Dodgers team forced to overcome a thinned-out, injury-riddled staff, Kershaw’s small step forward was a welcomed development. In a twist few saw coming, this star-studded roster suddenly needs everything Kershaw can give them.

That would have seemed preposterous when Kershaw re-joined the team on Feb. 13 after waiting out a free agency that always pointed toward Chavez Ravine. Having added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to join a staff featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and a host of others, Los Angeles had accumulated an embarrassment of riches on the pitching side.

Kershaw, fresh off two winter surgeries and the worst statistical season of his career, was an afterthought. At least from an on-field perspective. The legendary lefty was a clubhouse fixture for the Dodgers as they stampeded through October, even though he did not appear in a game after Aug. 30. He spoke at the World Series parade, triumphantly proclaiming that he planned to remain a Dodger for life.

But it was no secret, given his statistical decline, that this comeback was more for Kershaw than it was for the Dodgers. Anything he could give them would be a nice bonus. The Cooperstown-bound hurler had earned his tenure, but the team was not planning to rely on Kershaw as it had year after year, October after October.

“I think any baseball player would wanna go out on their own terms.” Kershaw said on MLB Network last week before his first start of the year. “For me, I just didn’t want an injury to be the reason that I stopped playing.”

Kershaw has always thirsted for control. His meticulous pregame routine is the stuff of legend. Baseball’s randomness forces its participants to learn to let go, to surrender agency. Kershaw has always resisted that. The hurler of a generation was never going to slink away quietly.

But a barrage of Dodgers pitching injuries has placed the spotlight on Kershaw once more. Los Angeles currently has 14 hurlers on its big league injured list. Yamamoto, the NL Cy Young favorite, and red-headed righty Dustin May are the only still-healthy starters from the club’s Opening Day roster. Kershaw has made three starts since his return from a pair of offseason surgeries. The first was a five-run stinker at home against the Angels, the second a rain-marred two-inning outing in Queens that offered no real insight into his progress.

But on Wednesday against Cleveland, the Big Guy battled. It was a far cry from the dominance of his prime, but Kershaw navigated his way through with guts and savvy. Still, Kershaw didn’t seem encouraged afterward.

“I think I’ve created some bad habits, you know, just with not feeling my best,” Kershaw told reporters afterward. “I haven’t pitched in a while, you know, I haven’t pitched in a long time. So there’s just some growing pains, I think, with the first few. Physically, feel great. Just keep throwing and figuring it out.”

It’s possible that Kershaw, with more reps, rediscovers some form. Only two seasons ago, he led the 2023 Dodgers in innings, finishing with a 2.46 ERA. He achieved that mark despite a fastball that averaged 90.7. But he ended that campaign with a disastrous implosion in the NLDS against Arizona. That winter, he underwent shoulder surgery, the first surgery of his career.

There’s reason to hope things get better. There’s also reason to doubt it ever will. The Dodgers have no choice but to give him the chance to find out.

“Still trying to find his way, wasn’t his best stuff,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “Willed himself through five innings.”

It is inspiring and sobering to watch this version of Kershaw. Nobody stays young forever. Father Time, undefeated, comes for us all. That feeling is universal. To watch him rage against the dying of the light is an admirable act of defiance. The golden glow of his Cooperstown-bound legacy casts this version of him in sepia tones — familiar, venerable, but unmistakably aged.

It’s strange to hear Roberts describe Clayton Kershaw as someone “finding his way.” For nearly two decades, Kershaw was the way — the standard, the pillar. It’s a reminder that the Dodgers skipper is talking about a completely different version of Kershaw.

The Dodgers will take whatever this version can give them.