Review of "The Last of His Kind"

 While I have never been much of a fan about the Los Angeles Dodgers, for some reason, every book I read about the team or one of their players always is a good one.  This book on Clayton Kershaw is no exception.  Here is my review of "The Last of His Kind."

Title/Author:

“The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness” by Andy McCullough

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Clayton Kershaw has been one of the best pitchers in major league baseball since his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.  By 2010, he was moving into elite status, eventually earning three Cy Young awards and also was the National League MVP in 2014.  As this review is written, he is still on the active list for the Dodgers but has not pitched in a game in 2024.  While his status as an active player may be in doubt, there is no doubt he has had an interesting baseball career and life, both of which are told in this excellent book by Andy McCullough.

The book is a good balance of Kershaw’s baseball life and his personal life.  He was a child of divorced parents and grew up without the financial security of many of his friends.  He and his mother did the best they could and in Clayton’s case, that included being the best baseball player he could be.  He was very focused on this, believing that a scholarship opportunity through baseball was the only way he could afford to go to college.  That plan got sidetracked when the Dodgers made him a first-round draft choice in 2006 and paid him a very good signing bonus.

This is where he developed his work ethic and the five day routine from which he never wavered during baseball season, all the way up to the Dodgers and through most of his career.  Injuries, mainly to his back, forced him to deviate from this later in his career, but the writing by McCullough about Kershaw’s routines is excellent and lets the reader know just how focused Kershaw can be, especially on the days he pitches.

From this description, one would think Kershaw is intense without much of a personality, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This was what really stood out to me while reading this.  Yes, there is plenty about his baseball career and the questions about his postseason struggles are addressed. However, when he is not pitching and either spending time with his family or even with teammates in the clubhouse or away from the ballpark, Kershaw comes across as a friendly funny guy and a man who puts his family first.  There are many passages in which his wife Ellen describes Clayton in such glowing terms.  While that may be expected, this is backed up by so many others in which Kershaw has had interactions.

When writing about baseball on the field, McCullough gives excellent accounts of this part of Kershaw as well.  Whether describing Kershaw’s coaches and advisors working on developing his pitching arsenal, the Dodgers’ front office activities (including the disastrous time of Frank and Jamie McCourt’s ownership) or the joy Kershaw felt when the Dodgers finally won a World Series in 2020, this aspect of the book is just as good.  I particularly enjoyed the section when Kershaw learned his unorthodox delivery method in three steps. 

Whether you are a Dodgers fan, a baseball fan, or just want to learn about one of the best pitchers in baseball the last 15 years, this book is for you. 

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness: 9780306832598: McCullough, Andy: Books