Clayton Kershaw received a rousing standing ovation from the home crowd Friday night after he was pulled in the fifth inning of his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw, who announced Thursday he would be retiring at season’s end, became emotional as he acknowledged the crowd on his way back to the dugout. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was embraced by his teammates upon his arrival.
He gave up 4 hits and two runs in 4.1 innings, striking out six, before exiting the game against the rival Giants.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated in an interview on Apple TV during the top of the fourth inning that he was monitoring Kershaw’s performance closely.
“I’m watching him closely,” Roberts said. “… Given the emotion of yesterday, he’s not as sharp (tonight). The pitch count (70) is higher than we would like.”
Roberts wanted to get him through the fifth inning, if possible.
Several of Kershaw’s former teammates were spotted at Dodger Stadium for the pitcher’s final regular-season home start. The former players in attendance included Andre Ethier, Austin Barnes, Russell Martin and AJ Pollock.
Kershaw’s childhood friend and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was also in attendance for the game.