The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness
Paperback
Publisher Price: $21.99
ISBN13: 9780306832604
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: May 6 2025
Pages: 416
Weight: 0.80
Height: 1.20 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.20
Language: English
This definitive biography of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw examines the genesis of his brilliance, his epic quest to win the World Series, and his singular place within the evolving baseball landscape--based on exclusive interviews with Kershaw and more than 200 others. Now in paperback with a new Epilogue.
More than any baseball player of his generation, Clayton Kershaw has embodied the rewards and burdens of athletic greatness. He is a three-time Cy Young award winner, the first pitcher to win National League MVP since Bob Gibson, and a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer. Many of his peers consider him the greatest pitcher to ever climb atop a big-league mound. In an age when baseball became more impersonal, Kershaw personified the game's lingering humanity, with his joy and suffering on display each October as he chased a championship. He pitched through pain, placing his future at risk on the game's grandest stages. He endeared himself to teammates and foes alike with his refusal to make excuses, and with his willingness to shoulder the blame when he failed. He further impressed them when he returned, year after year, even as his body broke down from the strain of his profession. When the Dodgers finally won a title in 2020, and again in 2024, the television cameras inevitably found Kershaw in his triumph. The Last of His Kind traces Kershaw's path from a boyhood fractured by divorce to his development as one of the most-heralded pitching prospects in Texas history to his emergence in Los Angeles as the spiritual heir to Sandy Koufax. The book also charts Kershaw's place in the churn of baseball history as his own stubbornness butted against the game's evolution. The narrative of baseball in the 21st century can be told through Kershaw's career--to understand how baseball is played today, and how it got that way, you must understand the journey of Clayton Kershaw.Also in
Athletes
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins
Bremer, Dick
Bruton, Jim
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Paperback
Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Smith, Sam
Jackson, Phil
Hardcover
The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World
Freedom, Enes Kanter
Hardcover
Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball
Epplin, Luke
Hardcover
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
Miller, John W.
Hardcover
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Butler, Charles
Long, Matt
Paperback
Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors
Pronger, Chris
Hardcover
Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation Into Grit
Hunt-Broersma, Jacky
Hardcover
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer
Newey, Adrian
Hardcover
Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher
Strawberry, Darryl
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Jamison, Steve
Walsh, Craig
Walsh, Bill
Paperback
The Bookie: How I Bet It All on Sports Gambling and Watched an Industry Explode
Manteris, Art
Birkbeck, Matt
Hardcover
Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier
McLaughlin, Sean J.
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II
Roberts, Randy
Smith, Johnny
Hardcover
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Bundschuh, Rick
Hamilton, Bethany
Paperback
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
O'Brien, Keith
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Shulman, Lenny
Durkin, Tom
Volponi, Paul
Hardcover
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Lomong, Lopez
Paperback
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever
Talty, John
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Hardcover
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Silvia, Brent
Miller, Kevin
Hardcover
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
Lear, Chris
Greif, Andrew
Brosnan, Sean
Hardcover
The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions
Parker, Candace
Hardcover
The Skateboard Life: Movers, Shakers, Makers & Rulebreakers: The Quintessential Story of Skateboard Culture
Williams, Neftalie
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird (Large Print Edition)
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
That World Cup Guy: Forty Years, Nine World Cups and One Fan's Incredible Journey
Milne, Andy
Paperback
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Ryan, Tom
Paperback
The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality
Pearlman, Jeff
Paperback
L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
Plunkett, Bill
Hardcover
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Eruzione, Mike
Boudette, Neal
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
Wertheim, L. Jon
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time Crossfit Games Champion
Davidsdottir, Katrin
McKernan, Rory
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
More Than a Game: How the Uconn Basketball Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring
Calhoun, Jim
Amore, Dom
Hardcover
