Dodgers legendary left-handed shooter Kershaw welcomes his 18th season and conceded five points in the first game of his comeback

With an unfinished season to the end, Clayton Kershaw's return is destined to be full of stories. The veteran left-throw made his comeback debut against the Angels in the Freeway Series on Saturday, conceding five points on four innings to tie Zack Wheat and Bill Russell and become the third player in Dodgers history to play 18 seasons.

"After a long absence, you miss the competition and the feeling of contributing to the team," Kershaw said recently, "and now it's grateful to be back on the field – and of course, if you throw badly, the joy is fleeting." Performance is the last word. "

Kershaw had a rocky twist and turn in his highly anticipated season debut, conceding 38 three-pointers in the first game, with one of the pinch-and-shoot errors extending the matchup. Thankfully, the Dodgers responded quickly — rookie Andy Pages tied the score with a three-pointer to give Kershaw a chance to restart. In the second game, Kershaw showed efficiency with three up and three downs, but in the third game he was sniped by Taylor Ward's spring gun, and in the fourth game, Zach Neto's deep fly ball was caught by Pages in front of the right field wall, and only formed a high-flying sacrifice and lost another point. Kershaw had two strikeouts to bring his career strikeouts to 2,970, just 30 short of the 3,000K milestone.

Since undergoing meniscus repair in his left knee and surgery on his left toe in 2023, Kershaw has had a long road to recovery. In the past two seasons, he has only started a total of 14 games due to injury, making this 18th season of the team's all-time record even more precious. Dodger head Dave Roberts said before the game: "His very presence is a fixture in the locker room. "

Despite the speedball averaging around 90mph, Kershaw's accuracy was on the line: the four-stitch speedball and slider made seven swings. But the Angels were decisive in their changing ball attacks, with five hits including two long hits. With Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow still on the injury list, the Dodgers are in desperate need of Kershaw's experience. The 36-year-old left-handed starter is expected to be in five days against the Padres, a fierce rival in the district. "Feeling good physically," Kershaw said at the exit, "just getting better." "

As Kershaw walked to the lounge after four innings, Dodgers Field erupted in prolonged applause — not only a tribute to the legend, but also a celebration of the return of tenacity.