Sports
Plaschke: Thankfully, fittingly, Clayton Kershaw returns to Dodgers
When Los Angeles last saw Clayton Kershaw, his head was buried in his hands and boos were ringing in his ears.
His shoulder was shot. His postseason was shredded. He was surely finished as a Dodger. He was probably finished as a pitcher.
Kershaw trudged quietly out of Dodger Stadium that October night after giving up six runs to the first eight Arizona Diamondbacks hitters in a nightmarish playoff opener, his pitiful appearance draped with the saddest of questions.
Is this really how a future Hall of Famer was going to walk away?
Four months later, a resounding answer.
No. He’s not quitting. He’s not leaving. He’s not done with the Dodgers. And the Dodgers aren’t done with him.
Thank goodness.
More shaggy snarl. More biting curves. More standing ovations for walks to the bullpen. More “We Are Young.”
In a free-agent signing borne of both sentiment and common sense, the Dodgers and Kershaw agreed on a one-year contract with a 2025 player option Tuesday, allowing the pitcher a rare chance to rewrite his final chapter while probably ensuring that he will indeed retire in blue.
It’s big news. It’s good news. It’s news that actually might not mean much on the field until late next summer, but news that should have a clubhouse impact immediately.
While he won’t pitch for at least the first half of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, Kershaw’s presence will immediately lend important stability to a remodeled team culture.
New starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton want to know what it’s like to be a Dodger? Just watch the guy who has been here 16 years.
New star Shohei Ohtani wants to know what it’s like to be a Dodgers leader? Just watch the guy who has been the cornerstone of a decade-long dynasty, a guy who has the Cy Young awards and the World Series ring that Ohtani lacks.
And when Kershaw, who turns 36 this spring, returns to the rotation? Hey, even when his shoulder was disintegrating last season, the guy could still pitch, with a 2.23 ERA in the last two months of the regular season before his arm collapsed in the playoffs.
Considering the injury history of many of the Dodgers’ potential starters, a healthy Kershaw could play a big role in this season’s stretch run. In the meantime, with just 56 more strikeouts, he will become only the third player in history to record 3,000 strikeouts with the same team, so he comes equipped with at least one built-in celebration.
Clayton Kershaw sits in the dugout before a start against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 23, 2023.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
If he decides to pick up his option and play in 2025, he would then be in a rotation with Ohtani, and wouldn’t that be fun?
No matter how Kershaw ends his career, it will seemingly be here, and that’s just perfect, the Dodgers smartly retaining their cornerstone, their Kobe Bryant, a guy who should never play anywhere else, and probably won’t.
This move is equally as good for Kershaw, who some thought would sign with his hometown Texas Rangers, but who ultimately decided there was no place like his Chavez Ravine home.
To be fair, the World Series champion Rangers will already have two star pitchers missing chunks of next season while recovering from injury — Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer — and probably weren’t thrilled about adding Kershaw to that list.
Still, he could have retired. But he decided the Dodgers were a better option for many reasons.
He’ll be close to his legendary Los Angeles-based surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He’ll rehab under familiar team officials and without any pressure to rush back and save the rotation. And the Dodgers lineup is so loaded, this offers him his best final chance to win a World Series in a season not abbreviated by a pandemic.
Also, as much as anything, there was a sense Kershaw returned to the Dodgers because of unfinished business.
He couldn’t end his time here on that final start.
To recap, he led the Dodgers into their postseason opener after the gutsiest two months of his career, fighting through shoulder pain and weakness to help set them up with a first-round series against the seemingly overmatched Diamondbacks.
And 15 minutes later, it all went to hell.
Remember the crazy eight?
Double, single, single, double, homer, groundout, walk, double.
Those were the outcomes recorded by the first eight Diamondbacks hitters in the top of the first inning before Kershaw was mercifully pulled in an eventual 11-2 loss.
It was not only the worst start of Kershaw’s career — and he has had some real October clunkers — but according to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the worst start in baseball postseason history.
Afterward, his words were doused in remorse.
“Disappointing, embarrassing, feel like you let everybody down,” Kershaw said at the time. “The whole organization that looked to you to pitch well in Game 1, it’s just embarrassing really, I just felt like I let everybody down.”
Kershaw basically doomed the Dodgers almost before the postseason started, as they were eventually swept in three games by the Diamondbacks in a series in which they never led.
He was promised an opportunity at atonement with a scheduled start in Game 4. He never got the chance. As another barren Dodgers winter approached, many wondered if he would ever get the chance.
Turns out, he will. Thank goodness.
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational
William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making