There are Cy Young Awards and World Series titles. And then there is another kind of meaningful accolade: high praise from Sandy Koufax. The Hall of Fame pitcher saluted Clayton Kershaw on the announcement of his impending retirement by calling his fellow Dodgers lefthander a friend and the kind of person who inspires teammates.
“As great of a pitcher as he is, or was, or whatever the timing is now, that’s as great a person as he is,” Koufax tells Sports Illustrated. “He’s one of these people who your teammates want to win for. And they think they’re going to win because of you. And that’s a tribute to him as a human being.”
