Clayton Kershaw: Joe Davis ‘The Best There Is’

Clayton Kershaw has entered the world of broadcasting in his first year of retirement, calling multiple games for NBC Sports, and more recently joining SportsNet LA for the series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.

Kershaw seemingly accepted Orel Hershiser’s open invitation to take his spot in the booth after it was extended to him during his Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony earlier this month.

Kershaw jumped at the opportunity to not only further his broadcasting career but also work alongside play-by-play announcer Joe Davis, via Jack Harris of the California Post.

“In order to really know if you enjoy it, you need to be in the booth,” he said. “So I started thinking about that more. And obviously working with Joe is a huge draw. He’s the best there is. So finding a game that’s regional, not a national broadcast, so you can get your feet wet and have somebody that’s incredible at their job help you through it, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Davis is widely regarded as one of the best play-by-play announcers in sports. He is in his 11th season with SportsNet LA and 10th since becoming the primary voice of the Dodgers. Davis also serves as a broadcaster for Fox Sports, where he calls select MLB and NFL games in front of a national audience throughout the league’s respective seasons.

Then of course, Davis is the lead MLB postseason broadcaster for Fox, which includes calling the World Series.

Clayton Kershaw enjoyed SportsNet LA experience

As for Kershaw, it was his first time working as a SportsNet LA analyst in an official capacity. He previously was part of the network’s telecasts through in-game interviews at various points of his 18-year playing career.

Although Kershaw admitted to having some initial nerves during his first broadcasting opportunity with SportsNet LA, he eventually settled in and enjoyed the experience.

Kershaw was previously part of NBC Sports’ Opening Day coverage — along with Hershiser — when the Dodgers hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks, and again joined a “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast on Aug. 2 for a game against the Boston Red Sox.

Though in both of those cases he was effectively the third member and seated alongside the Dodgers’ dugout rather than sitting in the booth.

In addition to his role as an analyst, Kershaw was hired by the Dodgers as a special assistant in the front office.