Los Angeles Dodgers: Remembering each pitcher’s first career start
CLAYTON KERSHAW
MLB DEBUT: 5/25/2008
AGE: 30
DRAFTED: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2006 June Draft out Highland Park High School in Dallas, TX
It’s a sunny day in Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of fans enter Dodger Stadium. Word has gotten out that the Dodgers have this new kid taking the mound today. Hopefully, he’s good.
On May 25, 2008, Clayton Kershaw took the mound for the first time as a major league baseball player. He pitched in a way we would all grow accustomed too, giving up 2 runs over 6 innings. Manager Joe Torre sat in the dugout watching his teams’ new rookie pitch against the Cardinals.
The Dodgers went on to win that game 4-3. Matt Kemp, who iconically returned to LA this winter, played center behind Kershaw. Russel Martin caught the game.
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2008 was a long time ago. Since then, the Dodgers have been managed by two other former players and have changed ownership. Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley were still with the team. Manny Ramirez was mere weeks away from taking LA by storm.
That season, they won the NL West, beating the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS before losing to the eventual World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Clayton Kershaw earned a no-decision in his first game, but one thing had been decided; this guy, whoever he becomes, was a Dodger, through and through.
It’s a sunny day in Los Angeles, and I’m standing in left field. I’m 9, donning my favorite Dodger tee that reads “Ethier” on the back. There’s a new guy in throwing in the bullpen. His curveball is a sight to behold. I stand there, watching as he tosses his pitches faster than anything I’ve ever seen. He’s got talent; he looks like he has a future in the big leagues.
“Who is that?” I remember asking my father.
“That’s Clayton Kershaw, he’s supposed to be great” he responded as we took our seats.
Next: Three things that could happen after Buehler's call up
This game has a way of setting radically high expectations for its players, but the Dodgers have not only a reputation but a history of exceeding those expectations.
In the past decade, we’ve witnessed six great Dodger pitchers make their major league debuts, so all there’s left to ask is this; who’s next?