LOS ANGELES -- Four days after recording his 3,000th strikeout, Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw will remain in the national spotlight while heading to his 11th career All-Star Game as a “Legend Pick.”
The addition of Kershaw to the National League roster for the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which will be played on July 15 at Atlanta, was made by Commissioner Rob Manfred.
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“It's something that I think that people in the game hold in high regard,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It's not charity, it's something that's earned over a long period of time, and what he's done for the game, on the field, off the field.”
MLB did the same for Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera in 2022 with both headed for retirement, but Roberts cautioned against looking too deep into this year’s honor.
“Not to say that this is it for Clayton, but I do think that having this opportunity is still another special moment for him, his family,” Roberts said. “I think everyone in that room, on the National League side, will be excited to have him in the clubhouse.”
Kershaw was unavailable for comment in the clubhouse after Sunday’s game.
Kershaw became the 20th pitcher and fourth left-hander to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he recorded three more in his illustrious career Wednesday against the White Sox.
Since returning from knee and toe procedures in the offseason, Kershaw is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA and has 32 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. In 18 Major League seasons, all with the Dodgers, he is 216-94 with a 2.52 ERA in 441 appearances (438 starts). He is a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 NL MVP.
“I told my teammates individual awards are great, but if you don't have anybody to celebrate with, it just doesn't matter, you know?" Kershaw said after reaching 3,000 strikeouts. "And to have that room full of guys, coaches, strength staff, training staff, front office, everybody just really be happy for me was just awesome. And they were in it with me. It was an amazing night. So just a lot of gratefulness on this end, for sure."
Also selected as an All-Star for the Dodgers was right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It is Yamamoto’s first selection in his second Major League season.
Kershaw and Yamamoto join fan-voted starters Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Will Smith (catcher) and Freddie Freeman (first base). Ohtani is appearing in an All-Star Game for the fifth time, all by fan vote. Smith is making his third appearance and first start, while Freeman will make his ninth appearance and fifth by fan election. The NL team will be managed by Roberts.