The last time Clayton Kershaw appeared in a regular season game for the Los Angeles Dodgers was on September 30th, 2023. The last time he did so at Dodger Stadium was one week prior, on September 23rd. Both starts came against the San Francisco Giants.
It seems appropriate, then, that Kershaw's first outing of the 2024 season came against...the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw had spent the entirety of the season to date working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Given the lengthy rehab Kershaw's experienced, the first start was always going to be a somewhat short one. From an innings standpoint, that's essentially what the Dodgers got.
In Thursday afternoon's start, Kershaw threw four innings (72 pitches). He allowed six hits and a pair of walks while striking out five. Only a pair of runs scored in the outing.
Just about everything looked as it should for Clayton Kershaw. The fastball velocity was in line with what it's been in recent years. Same for the spin on his breaking pitches. It's a small sample, but there's nothing to suggest that this isn't the typical version of Clayton Kershaw.
The July return is likely a bit better than the Dodgers had originally anticipated, with a chance to get a key rotation piece back ahead of the trade deadline. This'll give the Dodgers a chance to fully stretch him out well before October without any rush. To say nothing of the stability his presence alone provides the starting five.
The even better news is that the team has a couple of built-in off days next week. Which means Kershaw will get additional time for recovery between these first two starts.