"Although it's likely any contributions from Kershaw in October will come as a relief pitcher, entering out of the bullpen against the Diamondbacks was not viewed as a trial run of sorts. "It wasn't really the plan for me to begin with, but I didn't want to sit here for nine days. I had a lot of time off, and throwing one inning will help me get ready for Sunday," Kershaw explained. "If I can help out, it's great.""
""I have no hesitation pitching him in any situation tonight," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. The relief appearance was Kershaw's first since 2019. That year he pitched out of the bullpen as the regular season was winding to a close, and did so again in the NL Division Series, though that appearance went wayward in the Dodgers' elimination loss."
Clayton Kershaw made a relief appearance between scheduled starts and threw a scoreless ninth inning. He had been in the bullpen the previous game but was not among the four relievers after Shohei Ohtani's long start, and the Dodgers suffered their 11th walk-off loss of the season, tied for the National League lead. Kershaw has a Hall of Fame-caliber starting record, yet his postseason role appears likely to be as a reliever. The outing was his first relief appearance since 2019 and was intended to keep him sharp before his next start.
Read at Dodger Blue
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