The 2019 season was a mixed bag for longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. He missed all of Spring Training and the first two weeks of April due to a shoulder injury, preventing him from making what would have been a franchise-record ninth straight start on Opening Day.
While that streak was ultimately snapped, the time off proved beneficial for Kershaw. He strung off four consecutive quality starts to begin his campaign, cruising for much of the first half en route to his eighth career All-Star selection.
Kershaw was just as efficient in the second half and finished the year on a strong surface, only for his postseason struggles to resurface against the Washington Nationals.