Clayton Kershaw Caps Legendary Career with Dominant Win, Awaits Playoff Fate

In what may have been the final start of his illustrious 18-year career, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw delivered a dominant performance on Sunday, striking out seven and completing 5 ⅓ scoreless innings to help secure a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. This outing lowered his career ERA to 2.53, the best among starting pitchers with over 1,000 innings in the live ball era, and included his 3,052nd career strikeout. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Kershaw, 37, will not be on the Wild Card Series roster against the Cincinnati Reds, meaning he will only pitch again if the Dodgers (who finished 93-69) advance to the NLDS. Roberts lauded Kershaw's impactful season (11-2, 3.36 ERA over 23 outings) after returning from injuries, stating he was "invaluable" and that the team wouldn't have won the division without him, exceeding all expectations and being a "big part of what we accomplished this year."