Dodgers News: Kershaw Discusses Pitching In Frigid Temperatures
After having his scheduled start pushed back one day due to Saturday’s game getting cancelled, Clayton Kershaw is expected to take the mound Sunday afternoon in search of his 100th career win. Not only will Kershaw need to navigate his way through the Colorado Rockies lineup, he’ll also battle chilly temperatures.
Snow fell overnight in Denver, which put Sunday’s game at risk of being delayed or cancelled, however the Rockies’ grounds crew worked furiously throughout the morning to get the field cleared for the scheduled 1:10 p.m. PT start.
Last season Kershaw braved the elements at Coors Field to earn a complete-game win in a rain-shortened outing. However, Sunday will present a different set of challenges with the temperature expected to be in the 30s, which Kershaw said isn’t something he’s pitched in since 2007, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
I haven’t pitched in real cold weather in a long time,” said Kershaw, a native Texan. “Probably the last time was my first game with Midland in 2007. Pitched against Brett.”
The game Kershaw referenced was a start with Low-A Great Lakes Loons and one that Brett Anderson participate in and vividly remembers:
It was in South Bend, Indiana,” he said. “Clayton went 2 2/3, walked six. I went five, gave up four earned runs, no decision. We lost.”
Sunday’s Mother’s Day start is the fourth of Kershaw’s career and second in as many seasons. He threw seven innings, had nine strikeouts, and gave up three runs on three hits against the San Francisco Giants on Mother’s Day last year, walking away with a no-decision in a Los Angeles Dodgers’ loss.
Coincidentally, Kershaw’s first career Mother’s Day start came against the Rockies. The left-hander went eight shutout innings and recorded nine strikeouts in a win. Kershaw is a career 7-3 with a 4.58 ERA at Coors Field and 14-5 lifetime against the Rockies, with one win coming this season.
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