The surprising SF Giants connection to Clayton Kershaw's legacy

No Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher will ever wear No. 22 again after Clayton Kershaw. However, there is a surprising SF Giants connection to Kershaw's legacy. Kershaw picked No. 22 in the first place to honor Giants slugger Will Clark.

The surprising SF Giants connection to Clayton Kershaw's legacy

Clark wore No. 22 for much of his 15-year career. This includes the entire duration of his stint with the Giants and Texas Rangers. Kershaw was a Rangers fan as a kid, and Clark was his idol, so he decided to pick No. 22 to honor his career.

Here is an even wilder Giants connection. When Kershaw made his debut in 2008, he was originally issued No. 54. That is not all that uncommon. When rookies come up, they do not often get a choice in what number they wear. They usually take what is issued.

You may have noticed that Bryce Eldridge was issued No. 78. When he was playing for the Sacramento River Cats, he wore No. 14. No. 14 is currently worn by Patrick Bailey, so Eldridge may need to pick another number when he gets a chance.

I digress. The wilder connection here is that Mark Sweeney wore the No. 22 for the Dodgers in 2008. How did the veteran first baseman make his way to Los Angeles? It was by an extremely rare trade between the Giants and Dodgers in 2007. In fact, that is the last trade completed by the two clubs.

Sweeney relinquished No. 22 to Clayton Kershaw, and the rest is history. On Friday night, Kershaw made his 63rd and final regular season appearance against the Giants. He allowed two earned runs in 4.1 frames while walking off the field to an ovation from the Dodgers crowd.

Overall, the southpaw pitcher tallied a 27-16 record with a 2.10 ERA in his career against the Giants. There were some good Giants memories along the way, even if those matchups overwhelmingly favored the Dodgers. I think Giants hitters will be pleased to know that they will not have to face Kershaw again.

So, there you have it. A cool Giants connection to Kershaw's legacy. The Giants have already retired Clark's number to honor his career. In relatively short order, the Dodgers will do the same for Kershaw.

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