Bill Plaschke has decided that Clayton Kershaw is the greatest pitcher in Dodgers history. Given the distinct eras in which they both pitched, and the completely different roles starting pitchers have today, it is really impossible to definitively conclude who is the absolute greatest. I think the best we can say is that, without much doubt, Sandy Koufax had the greatest five-year stretch of any pitcher in baseball history, and at his peak, was the most dominant pitcher in the history of the game. Kershaw, on the other hand, has had the greatest career and consistency of performance by any Dodger pitcher ever. And perhaps, Bill, it is best if we just leave it at that.
Drew Pomerance
Tarzana
With all due respect to Bill Plaschke, why does Clayton Kershaw have to be “greater” than Sandy Koufax, or Don Drysdale for that matter? Can’t we just enjoy all their greatness as part of Dodgers history without anointing one greater than another? Don’t forget, Drysdale pitched six consecutive shutouts and 58 scoreless innings. What’s greater than that?
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Rhys Thomas
Valley Glen
In what should have been the easiest article to write in Mr. Plaschke’s illustrious career, Bill completely whiffs when comparing Kershaw to Koufax. Baseball’s dramatic evolution over the last 60 years makes it impossible to compare the greatness of both men. Sandy and Clayton represent the best in Dodgers baseball and there is no need to celebrate the greatest Dodgers pitcher of the 21st century at the expense of the greatest Dodgers pitcher of the 20th century.
Rob Demonteverde
Brea
Special ‘K ‘ night
In the game when Clayton Kershaw got his 3,000th strikeout, the Dodgers had a Hollywood ending when Freddie Freeman drove Shohei Ohtani in for a walk-off victory. It was fitting that strikeout number 3,000 came at the expense of Vinny Capra — Vinny as in Vin Scully, and Capra as in legendary filmmaker Frank Capra.
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Ken Feldman
Tarzana
Discriminating concern
The Dodgers are going to lose on their defense of their DEI programs for the simple paraphrasing in the reason set forth by Chief Justice Roberts that the way to end discrimination is not more discrimination … which is what the Dodgers engage in. They have touted it over and over again publicly.
The irony is that DEI is the absolute last thing the organization would think about in assembling and paying those on its 40-man roster.
Strangely, the Dodgers’ supposedly brilliant owners and management fail to realize that absent…