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Clayton Kershaw completed his last regular season start early Friday night in Los Angeles, coming out with two strikeouts in the second inning after throwing 42 shots against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The reason for his release was not immediately provided.
Kershaw, a free agent waiting for a Dodgers team who could potentially end their season in Wednesday’s National League wildcard game, received a rousing standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd as they returned to the dugout .
Kershaw kept the baseball rather than handing it over to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on leaving the mound.
Kershaw, 33, was on his fourth start after missing more than two months with an inflamed elbow. He allowed the same number of hits he recorded on strikeouts (five) and was charged with three earned runs, allowing five slaps that traveled over 95 mph. It was the first time in a Statcast-era game (since 2015) that at least half of the hitters faced by Kershaw had a hard-hit ball against him.
The southpaw’s 2021 regular season ends with a 3.55 ERA in 121 innings. The question is what, if anything, he can deliver in the playoffs.
The Dodgers came two games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West on Friday with three games to go. If they miss their ninth straight division title, they will host the St. Louis Cardinals next week. Max Scherzer is expected to start against Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals.
ESPN Stats & Information has been used in this report.
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