“He’s very self-aware. He was very surprised,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But I think that the next level of thinking and appreciating who this honor has been given to over [the] years, the legends honor, I think that he understood it sooner. And it’s a great honor, and I think that he took it the right way.”
The veteran left-hander was Commissioner Rob Manfred’s first legacy selection since 2022, when Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera received All-Star nods in recognition of their illustrious careers with retirement on the horizon for both.
“I didn’t actually know that was a thing,” Kershaw said. “At the end of the day, it’s weird but it’s cool, so I’m just going to enjoy it.”
Kershaw, like Pujols and Cabrera, should be bound for the Hall of Fame once he decides it’s time to hang ’em up. He notched 3,000 career strikeouts earlier this month, perhaps the crowning achievement of his decorated 18 seasons in the big leagues.
Even after reaching that milestone, Kershaw has kept the focus off what comes next. The 37-year-old has been a valuable member of the Dodgers’ rotation since completing his rehab from offseason surgeries on his left toe and left knee, going 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts.
Kershaw is a two-time World Series champion, a three-time Cy Young winner, the 2014 NL MVP and now the 20th member of the 3,000-strikeout club. He has nothing left to prove in baseball, but his focus is on giving the Dodgers everything he has as they defend their World Series title.
He’s taking things one day at a time, without spending too much time thinking about what the near future holds.
“Not to be not appreciative of moments like [the 3,000th-strikeout game], because that was a really special night in L.A. I wouldn’t change anything that that night was. That was so special,” Kershaw said. “But I don’t know what is going to happen in the future. I really have no idea when it comes to the years beyond this one.
“So I’m just trying to enjoy it, be part of a really good team this year. We still have a lot to accomplish. We still have October. It’s really hard to look at stuff individually when you’re trying to accomplish something as a team.”
Kershaw is seen as one of the greatest pitchers of his generation because of those individual achievements, but his teammates take even more away from the time they’ve spent around him.
“He does an excellent job leading by example,” rookie lefty Jack Dreyer said. “First one in the weight room, his prep work is dialed, his treatment — everything that he knows he needs to take care of, he does as soon as he shows up to the field. … I think that speaks volumes to who he is as a player and how he carries himself. It makes you, as a younger player, want to do what he does and do it the way he does it.”
The Dodgers pride themselves on their culture. For many around the team, Kershaw has played a big role in setting the right tone. In addition to the day-to-day work he puts in, it wasn’t lost on his teammates that he reported to Camelback Ranch for this spring’s first pitcher and catcher workout before he had officially re-signed for the 2025 season.
“Being here every single day, seeing him do what he does, going about his routine every single day, it’s a very special thing,” southpaw Anthony Banda said. “Those are memories that I’m gonna forever remember and cherish, because when he’s inducted in the Hall of Fame, I’m gonna be like, ‘Yeah, I was his teammate.'”
Those traits, to those around him, are just about as big a part of Kershaw’s legend status as the career achievements that helped send him to this year’s Midsummer Classic.
“You never take for granted getting to go to an All-Star Game, regardless of the circumstances,” Kershaw said. “Obviously, I don’t deserve to get to go this season. Haven’t pitched very much. But everything that it encompasses to go to an All-Star Game, I get to take my family — I’ll never pass up that opportunity. It’s a tremendous honor.”