Just as he had for the previous 18 seasons, Clayton Kershaw was alongside the Dodgers on Opening Day. This time, though, he had a different look -- and a different role.
The now-retired Kershaw traded his No. 22 uniform for a suit. He joined the broadcast crew for Major League Baseball’s return to NBC, for the first time since 2000, as part of an Opening Day doubleheader.
Kershaw took part in the pregame show alongside Bob Costas and gave his thoughts from the field throughout the evening, watching the Dodgers top the Diamondbacks, 8-2.
Kershaw gave an early assessment on Los Angeles starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Fresh off his World Series MVP performance, Yamamoto pitched six strong innings in the win, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six. Kershaw described his former teammate’s style as “art.”
“He is an absolute machine. It’s his routine, it’s how he goes about his business,” Kershaw said. “And the ball comes out of his hand like a piece of art. It really is amazing. When I tell my kids to watch people pitch, Yama’s right at the top of the list.”
And then, the 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner and MVP said what we were all thinking.
“I’m excited to watch this game today. It’s a weird thing,” he told play-by-play man Jason Benetti, “but it’s pretty awesome to be here.”
Kershaw was also on hand earlier in the day as the Dodgers raised their 2025 World Series banner, their second in as many years. The lefty offered his take on why Los Angeles can turn it into a three-peat.
“All these guys are superstar-caliber players, but they have one goal in mind, and that’s to win the World Series every single year,” Kershaw said. “They come to the game every day trying to win one game, and then everything else kind of takes care of itself. It trickles all the way down to the 25th, 26th guy on the roster.”
It will take some time to come to terms with not seeing Kershaw on the mound, carving up hitters like he’s done for nearly two decades. But we can get used to hearing his expertise from the booth.