Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw gets real on uptick in pitcher injuries to start 2024 campaign

There have been a lot of injuries to pitchers in MLB over the last year or so, which has caused some to blame the implementation of the pitch clock, but Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw said that he does not believe anyone has the answer for why.

“If someone says, ‘I have it figured out,’ I wouldn’t listen to them,” Clayton Kershaw said, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “… I’m very wary of people that think they have it all figured out when all of this is still happening. If you had it figured out, you would’ve told somebody and made a billion dollars. You know what I mean? Nobody knows.

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider undergoing surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament headlines the latest injuries, with other pitchers like Eury Perez of the Miami Marlins and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians being lost for the season. Pitchers like Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, along with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez have dealt with elbow injuries that will keep them out a while, although it is not expected to be the whole season. Other stars in recent years to go down with season-ending injuries are Shohei Ohtani (from a pitching standpoint) and Sandy Alcantara. Ohtani will wait until 2025 to take the mound with the Dodgers.

What is causing all of these pitching injuries, and what does Clayton Kershaw think?

Kershaw responded to some of the ideas that people have in regards to what is causing these injuries. Some believe the pitch clock plays a part, while other cite pitchers not taking time to rest in the offseason and throwing as hard as possible.

“Everybody has theories,” Kershaw said, via Ardaya. “It’s probably a combination of what everybody’s talking about, whether it be added velocity, weighted ball programs too young, all this stuff that people talk about. But at the end of the day, nobody knows. Nobody knows the perfect formula, and if they did, they’d be doing it. So I think the question we need to ask is, how do we fix it? And then somebody has to be brave enough to put their neck out and try something different.”

Older pitchers like Verlander and Max Scherzer have suffered injuries as well, and Kershaw took a moment to shout them out too. Both Verlander and Scherzer are dealing with injuries as of right now.

“Nobody cares about the old guys,” Kershaw said via Ardaya. “I never threw 100 (mph).”

Kershaw is in the late stages of his career, and he is trying to add one more World Series ring before he decides to call it a career. The Dodgers are at 11-6 on the season and have arguably the most talented roster in the league. It will be interesting to see if his team can get it done in October this season.