Spring Training 2024: Clayton Kershaw Talks Big Decision, Shohei Ohtani & Javelins

Clayton first welcome back to the Dodgers when you  thought about just making this this decision this offseason what was kind of just going through your  head and what led to coming back here yeah it was just uh it was a good offseason to kind of be home  and talk with Ellen and try to figure everything out and um you know once we decided to you know  get the surgery and want to play again and that was kind of a process in and of itself and you  know I can't say enough good things about Andrew a

nd the way he handled everything and um even  ownership Mark and Tau all the way down they just really gave me the time to figured things out and  um once I decided to come back it was a they just everybody has been great and so I just uh I felt  wanted even though I'm kind of damaged goods right now and um it was just uh it was a good feeling  after having the surgery really getting a better understanding as to what was all happening with  your shoulder what just kind of allowed you to know tha

t there's still more in the tank and more  than that you want to do out there on the mound well yeah you know I went home and you know the  season was obviously the way it ended especially I mean for our team and for me personally it wasn't  fun at all so um you know a lot of doubts a lot of different things and if I wanted to do this  it became pretty evident that I had to fix it and get surgery and um never done that before and  so that was kind of a hard road to go down but uh once I did it u

m you know Dr El is awesome and um  really walked me through it and said that I'd be good as new and so I I believe him and I'm on a  good path right now and so I'm I'm excited about getting ready to pitch at doter Stadium again  that sounds fun a decision to keep pitching for you I mean not as quick as I thought you know  it took a minute to like you had to get away from the season a little bit so you know I think it was  still pretty tough honestly and so I I think I had to get away for you kn

ow a good couple weeks to  really think about it and didn't want to go out that way so I think that was ultimately how I came  to it and and then once we started Gathering more information realizing that surgery is probably the  best option that um you know gave me a little bit of um Clarity with everything and um just decided  to come back you realize that you're going to need surgery did that make retiring more of an option  help with the clarity part like how did that kind of yeah I mean I as

ked I mean I asked if like uh  you know can I still throw a BP if I don't get the surgery and all that like you know throw to my  play with my catching my kids and I could have done all that I just don't think I could have  thrown hard so um yeah I mean all that weighed in it wasn't a you know I I don't know who I I  really never made a big decision in my life you know I got drafted by the Dodgers married same  girl from high school and like I didn't really have many decisions to make along the

way so this  was kind of the first offseason where I had some choices to make and it wasn't easy but I feel  really good about it now and um thankful I got the surgery thankful I'm back here and um I'm  excited to be a part of it what is that process like for you what did you learn about yourself  yeah I mean the communicating is probably not one of my strong suits but uh you know I think we did  talk a lot about it and kind of went in circles for a while and um I think ultimately the one  thing

I learned is that I'm not very patient in general and that sometimes you just have to take  time and this stuff and kind of see it from all angles and maybe something you're not seeing right  away and so thankfully I did that and and um came to a great conclusion and I'm really happy about  it your timeable just Fe back on the M yeah I mean honestly I I think summer is about as good as I  can do you know it's probably not early summer you know probably towards closer to you know I  I hate to sa

y a timetable CU if I go above below it or Beyond it it's it's you know not good but I  mean I would say at July is augusti is somewhere in there uh I'm going to go home now and probably  come back around the beginning of March for a few weeks and try to get a little further along in my  throwing program before I kind of bother people with uh dealing with me and then I'll probably be  around home stands and then kind of go back home for the road trips but it's pretty gray honestly  just kind of

depending on how I'm doing and uh what I need to be done but that's kind of my plan  as of now how far into your throwing program are you uh second week yeah so was three months of no  throw and then this is my second week of throwing where are you kind of like mentally right now in  that process where you know obviously you can't kind of do all the things that you normally do  imagine it's a little bit harder to get a little bit G like that uh I mean yes or no I think the  the freedom of you kn

ow not trying to get ready for a full season is is kind of nice you know it's  just going to be a Sprint once I get back and so that's um there's a little bit of um comfort in  that honestly try not you know you don't have to be ready April 1st you can be ready whenever  that is in the summer and kind of be ready to go so there's a little bit of freedom in that that  I'm looking forward to but um you know overall I'm I'm excited to be here and get ready for a season  no matter what when you come

back do you expect to be you or do you have to make any concessions  at this point yeah I mean I I expect to be good I don't know what you means anymore but I expect to  be good and um I've said it before I don't want to be average I don't want to just pitch to pitch I  want to be good I want to be I want to contribute I want to be a part of this and um so yeah my  expectations are no concessions just be good