(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was kind enough to take part in a live chat event at 1:00 pm Pacific Time on MLB.com.
For 39 minutes, the native of Dallas, Texas answered questions from fans that were logged into a chat room.
Clayton is in his second season with the Blue Crew. Drafted in 2006 by the Dodgers at only 21 years of age, Kershaw was the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year at Highland Park High School in Texas.
He made his major league debut on May 25, 2008 and won his first game on Jul. 27, 2008.
Despite his young age and lack of experience, Clayton displays great maturity on and off the field.
The fact that Clayton took some time while he was on the road to speak with Dodgers fans shows that the kid understands what it means to be a major league player.
One fan asked Clayton about the pending return of Manny Ramirez, but Kershaw wouldn’t take the bait; he simply stated that the club needed to keep winning games.
Unfortunately, I was unable to have one of my questions selected for Clayton to answer. However, here are some highlights from the chat:
Skewp: What about being an MLB player has surprised you the most?
Kershaw: The stadium atmosphere…there is nothing in high school or the minor leagues to prepare you for a game at Dodger Stadium.
Bees13: What was it like for a player your age to immediately play under a manager like Joe Torre?
Kershaw: It's a great experience to have Joe as my first manager…he’s terrific with players young and old. I’m blessed.
Cheflisa: What player influenced you the most?
Kershaw: My favorite player growing up was Will Clark, that’s why I wear the No. 22.
Dodgersbuddy: How do you prepare for your games?
Kershaw: Usually, I just watch video of the opposing hitters…but most importantly I try to relax and take it easy until it’s time to go.
Yamamoto30: Who was your greatest influence and why?
Kershaw: Probably my parents…they were my biggest supporters growing up and it wouldn’t have happened without them.
Clutch7: What player on the teams’ work ethic do you admire the most?
Kershaw: The routine Randy Wolf has is second to none. He does the exact same thing five days straight and never takes a day off.
Koufaxk32: What do you think of the comparisons between you and Sandy Koufax?
Kershaw: It’s an honor just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Mr. Koufax. But I have a ton of work to do before the comparisons are warranted.
We also found out crucial information, such as that Clayton likes to go to the beach, enjoys movies on his days off, and, most importantly, his favorite Taylor Swift song is “Our Song.”
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