Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw Gives Praise To Former Teammate Ahead of NLDS

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw knows Padres infielder Manny Machado all too well

Ryan Menzie | Oct 10, 2022

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The brotherhood of the MLB can't be understated, even if it means praising an NL West rival player. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw knows greatness when he sees it and he doesn't hold back when talking about his former teammate Manny Machado.

Machado spent the second half of one season with the Dodgers in 2018 before ultimately signing with the Padres in a massive 10 year $300 million deal. It was enough of a lasting impact to leave for Kershaw to know see how great Machado was and still continues to be (quotes via Marty Caswell, MartyTimeTV).

“I’ve always had a big respect for Manny, when he played with us, and now coming over here playing against him all the time, he’s just a great player. And you can kind of build around him, because you know he’s going to post every day, he’s a lot like Freddie for us, he’s just going to post every day, go out there, play great defense, get big hits.”

The six time All-Star enters his 11th season in the league and still does not look like he will be slowing down anytime soon. This season Machado 32 Home Runs and 102 RBI's on a .298 batting average, all stats good enough for his sixth All-Star selection.

“I think he’s just a great player. I think he can roll out of bed and hit .300 and play Gold Glove defense…I don’t know much about their clubhouse but it does feel like he kind of maybe has a little bit more of a leadership role maybe, and it kind of runs through him a little bit I feel like, it just seems that way from the other side at least.”

Respect remains at an all time high but Kershaw is all business when it comes to the playoffs. If this is the last time Kershaw will face Machado in his career, he will do whatever it takes to come out on top.

Published Oct 10, 2022

RYAN MENZIE

Ryan Menzie | Lead Contributor Ryan is an LA Native who has grown up praising the greatest athletes LA has had to offer. A love for sports ranging between basketball, football, volleyball and golf, a future Sports Management Masters graduate, and being engulfed into organized sports since seven years old, the passion and love for sports never ends for Ryan. If the words he writes don't paint the full picture of his true fandom, he will find more ways than one to tell the story and be more than willing to open up a nice LA sports debate with you. Favorite Player: Mookie Betts Favorite Moment: 2020 World Series. The Lakers won the NBA title and the Dodgers secured the World Series only a couple of months later. During such a rough time with COVID-19 and such a bleak look at how sports has tried to overcome the circumstances, it was a relief to see the night sky lit up for many nights and a makeshift parade in LA when it seemed like we needed it the most.