"He and I were both kind of the long guys down there,"
"It's crazy, kind of the similarities."
"Where I am now is kind of where he was. It's pretty cool."
"I've got the ball in my room somewhere. It kind of stunk that we lost. But I knew it was the last time I was going to put on a uniform. I was privileged to wear it for as long as I did."
Clayton Kershaw completed his pregame routine at Citizens Bank Park and vividly remembered his postseason debut from 17 years and 39 playoff appearances earlier. He recalled being in the bullpen during the 2008 National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 2008 Dodgers pitching staff included young Kershaw and veteran Greg Maddux in his final year. Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley started the NLCS while Kershaw and Maddux did not. Maddux posted ERAs above 4.00 in each of his final five seasons and knew the 2008 postseason would be his last. In his final outing Maddux worked the fourth and fifth innings, left trailing by five runs, requested the game ball, and reflected that he was privileged to have worn the uniform.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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