Bellinger credits Kershaw as he gears up for Yankees' playoff stretch run
Kershaw to retire after season; Bellinger thriving with the Yankees as they push toward postseason
BALTIMORE — Cody Bellinger credited Clayton Kershaw as a driving influence on the Dodgers' postseason run that included three World Series appearances and a title in 2020. With Kershaw announcing Thursday that he will retire after the season, Bellinger said the left-hander's presence, work ethic and how he carried himself on the mound helped define a standard for the organizations he played for. The comments came before the Yankees’ 7-0 victory Thursday over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Now with the Yankees after being traded from the Cubs in the offseason, Bellinger has been a fixture in the lineup and a key piece as New York pursues a return to October. The 30-year-old outfielder has played all three outfield spots and filled in at first base when needed. In the midst of his best year since his 2019 NL MVP season, Bellinger has posted a 1.034 OPS against left-handed pitching, third in the majors behind only Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt. He is on pace to appear in more games than in any season since 2019, a year in which he played 156 games.
His path included a two-season stint with the Cubs after six years in Los Angeles, and this year in the Bronx as part of a Yankees reshuffling aimed at sustaining a late-season push. The Yankees shipped right-hander Cody Poteet to Chicago as part of the deal that brought Bellinger to New York, following Juan Soto’s departure to the Mets in a deal valued at $765 million. The note adds that he has outplayed his replacement in Chicago, Kyle Tucker.
“This is why I wanted to come here,” Bellinger said of the Yankees, where he arrived in the offseason and has outplayed his replacement in Chicago, Kyle Tucker. “Being able to get into the playoffs is very important. It’s fun. It’s why you play the game.”
“We have one goal and that’s to win the World Series,” said Bellinger, whose father, Clay, was part of two title-winning teams in The Bronx, in 1999 and 2000. “I know that’s the goal of a lot of teams, but I like what we have going on in this locker room. Now’s the time to prove it.”
Kershaw’s retirement marks the end of a defining era in which the left-hander anchored one of baseball’s most successful rotations over a decade, shaping how teammates approach preparation, accountability and consistency. Bellinger’s reflections on Kershaw’s example arrive at a moment when the Yankees are hoping to translate similar standards into a deep October run, and when Kershaw’s decision to step away adds a closing chapter to a storied career.
