Lopes was a member of L.A.'s record-setting infield in the 1970s and 1980s, alongside Steve Garvey, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. The quartet started together in the infield for an unprecedented eight and a half consecutive seasons.
Kershaw decided to join Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, fulfilling a goal he had previously been unable to achieve. Kershaw hoped to pitch in the 2023 WBC, but was unable to secure an insurance policy for it. Kershaw pitched in one of the exhibition games for USA, but he was on the roster more as a 'break glass in case of emergency' option.
I went when President Biden was in office. I'm going to go when President Trump is in office. To me, it's just about getting to go to the White House. You don't get that opportunity every day, so I'm excited to go.
I just felt that, for all the storybook narratives, all that stuff - we're trying to win the World Series, and I'm going to go with people that I feel can handle the moment. And part of the moment is potentially failing. And I understand what it would have looked like for me to make that decision for Clayton, this being his last year, all that stuff. But it's like, I'm still not going to run from potential failure.
Less than two years later, the 20-year-old made his major league debut, giving up two runs and striking out seven in six innings as he fired 97 mph fastballs and a big curveball, impressing then-Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "He's the real deal," the Hall of Fame skipper said. Kershaw was still a work in progress, working on his command and relying almost exclusively on only those two pitches until he started throwing his slider the following season.