Whatever it is for Ohtani, 37-year-old Kershaw changes the order of his pitching and takes a break on the 4th and holds a mound meeting with Korean and Japanese superstars on the 28th

Aug 27, 2025

LA Dodgers Clayton Kershaw takes the mound against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on the 22nd (Korea time) and sprays the ball vigorously. AP Yonhap News

Shohei Otani pitches against Colorado at Coors Field on the 21st (Korea time). AP Yonhap News

Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw gave up a day off to Shohei Ohtani.

What does this mean. In other words, they changed the order of starting positions. The Dodgers have been operating a six-man rotation since August. All starting pitchers follow the '5 day rest and appearance' method. Ohtani-Kershaw-Blake Snell-Tyler Glasnow-Yamamoto Yoshinobu-Emmett time limit in order.

If the rotation is applied normally, Ohtani will have to play in the second game of three consecutive home games against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on the 27th (Korea time). However, Kershaw will take charge of the game, and Ohtani will take the mound on the 28th, a day later, in the last game of the three consecutive games. As a result, Kershaw will take four days off for the third time this season.

He took the mound against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on the 22nd and led them to a 9-5 victory with six hits and three runs in five ⅔ innings. But he threw 85 pitches. It is by no means a small number.

Kershaw's appearance after a four-day break was against the Cleveland Guardians on May 29 and the St. Louis Cardinals on June 9, both of which were good pitching in five innings, six hits and one run. In particular, he struck out seven, his most in a game this season, against St. Louis. In other words, the result of the four-day rest was rather good.

Otani bows down to check his condition with his trainer after being hit on the thigh by a hitting ball during the fourth inning of pitching against Colorado on the 21st (Korea time). AP Yonhap News

On the other hand, Ohtani will rest on the 6th and take the mound on the 7th. He seemed to need more rest, too. He lost the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on the 21st, allowing five runs and nine hits in four innings. His nine hits were his most tie-breaking in a game. He took the mound with the goal of five innings, but he couldn't hold out more because he was hit by six hits and allowed three runs in the fourth inning alone.

Moreover, in the fourth inning, Orlando Arcia's line drive hit him in the right thigh and bruised him with no outs and runners on the second and third bases. In the end, manager Dave Roberts changed the order of his appearance and gave Ohtani another day of rest.

Ohtani's goal is to pitch five innings. The number of pitches is expected to be adjusted around 80.

Kershaw has no set pitch limit. However, it may be difficult to take the mound after a four-day break.

Kershaw, who joined in mid-May after 6 months of rehabilitation after undergoing knee and toe surgery last winter, pitched 83 ⅓ innings in 16 games with an 8-2 record, 3.13 ERA, 52 strikeouts, WHIP 1.20 and a 0.254 hit rate. Among the Dodgers' starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the most stable.

Meanwhile, in the home game against Cincinnati on the 28th, when Ohtani starts, Son Heung-min, who recently nestled as LAFC in Major League Soccer (MLS) and scored a goal in three games, is set to throw the first pitch, drawing more attention.