Clayton Kershaw (35) of the Los Angeles Dodgers has finally conquered the 200-win mark. His parents divorced in his childhood and he grew up difficult, but he finally wrote a great record on the major league (MLB) mound.
Kershaw pitched as a starting pitcher in the 2023 MLB home game against the New York Mets held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 19th (Korean time). He pitched 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits, striking out 9 while pitching a scoreless run to lead the Dodgers to a 5–0 victory.
Kershaw, who won his third win of the season on this day, vomited his spirit to achieve his 200th win in his personal career. “Tonight’s performance really epitomized who he is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Catcher Austin Barnes, who played with Kershaw, couldn’t hide his surprise, saying on the MLB official website ‘MLB.com’, “To win 200, you need to win 20 in 10 years. It’s difficult to do that.” Statistical expert Lang poured out rave reviews on his social network service (SNS), saying, “It is fortunate that we can see Kershaw.”
Kershaw primarily throws a fastball, slider and curveball. He also uses a changeup, but overall, the type of pitch seems simple. However, the average velocity of the fastball is 150 km/h. On top of that, batters are at a loss as he gets stuck in the at-bat with the brute strength of his 191cm height. Considering that he is a left-handed pitcher, it is said that the sense of speed that batters feel is 3 to 4 km faster.
Kershaw, who received the Cy Young Award for the best pitcher in the league twice (2011 and 2013), was nominated by the Dodgers in the 7th round in the 2006 rookie draft. However, Kershaw took great satisfaction in receiving his immediate down payment and being able to monetize his favorite sport, which had something to do with Kershaw’s troubled childhood.
Kershaw, a native of Texas, was raised by his mother, Marion, when his parents divorced when he was 10 years old. Despite the difficult economic conditions, Marion lived in Highland Park, where the average annual household income was over $200,000 (about 213 million won), because she wanted to provide Kershaw with the best educational environment. However, Marion eventually transferred Kershaw from a private school to a public school because she could not afford the education. Even after that, Marion did her best to help Kershaw realize his dream.
Kershaw, who made his MLB debut in 2008 after overcoming an unfortunate childhood, threw his main weapon, the curveball, in his first big league game. Commentator Vin Scully, also known as the ‘Voice of the Dodgers’, predicted the birth of a ‘Super Ace’, saying, “Public Enemy No. 1 was born” as soon as he saw Kershaw. In this way, Kershaw won the Cy Young Award in 2011 and 2013, and signed a long-term contract with the Dodgers in 2014 worth $215 million for 7 years (2014-2020, 224 billion won). He is known as an MLB ace pitcher both in name and reality. He was the highest paid pitcher at the time. Kershaw, who renewed his contract with the Dodgers last December, has signed a one-year contract worth 20 million dollars (26.2 billion won), including an annual salary of 15 million dollars and a down payment of 5 million dollars.
If Kershaw’s mother Marion’s devoted care allowed him to focus solely on his sport, Kershaw’s life after the athlete was reportedly influenced by his wife, Ellen Kershaw. Kershaw, who returned to his hometown of Texas after his debut season in 2008, first opened a charity baseball classroom to help children in Africa. In particular, she got married in 2010 after seven years of devotion to Ellen, whom she met in high school. She volunteered in Zambia, Africa for her honeymoon, and has since set up a daycare center and regularly visits to take care of the children. When Kershaw dreamed of playing on the mound in the major leagues from his teenage years, Ellen supported Kershaw’s dream by saying, “I can do it.”
What is Kershaw’s remaining goal? In response,안전놀이터 Kershaw attributed the glory of 200 wins to the team, saying that victory is the only victory, and that victory exists only because of the team. Kershaw said in an interview with local media such as MLB.com, “My goal is to win. That’s why tonight is so great.”