It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who’s only pitched in 16 games due to lingering injuries. But the past week showed he might be rounding into form.
The seven-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 7 2/3 innings a week ago, allowing just one run on six hits and striking out eight to grab his fourth win of the season. He was effective at the plate as well, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances, tallying a two-run single off Braves All-Star pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and three walks.
Clayton Kershaw has three walks and a hit tonight.
The last starting pitcher to reach base four times in a game was Mike Leake in 2010.
The last pitcher with three walks and a hit in a game was Hall-of-Famer Whitey Ford in 1959. pic.twitter.com/KUkt5M2y58
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 28, 2018
Then on Thursday, he pitched six innings, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven to bring his season record to 5-5.
It was a really good week off the diamond as well. Kershaw’s foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, broke ground on a school in Zambia, where it has already built two homes that house 17 children who were abused, neglected or malnourished. Another 150 or so kids are given food at the houses, but they all go to three different schools.
Arise Christian School, which is a partnership with Arise Africa, will soon be able to provide all of its services on one campus.
“It was just a logical next step to have somewhere for these kids to go that is fully funded and has a great education,” Kershaw told the L.A. Times.
Kershaw recently told FCA Magazine, “I just want to be able to make an impact while I’m here.” He and his wife, Ellen, are certainly doing that — with much thanks to his baseball abilities.
“If you have these strict, rigid ideas in your head of what life can look like in the future, you might not see what God has prepared for you,” Kershaw told FCA. “I don’t know what next year holds. I don’t know what the next 10 years hold. I’m thankful for the past 10 years I got to play this game.”
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