Latest news with #AustinBarnes
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Dodgers Star Sends 6-Word Message After Clayton Kershaw's 3000th Strikeout
Former Dodgers Star Sends 6-Word Message After Clayton Kershaw's 3000th Strikeout originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Los Angeles Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw is officially in the history books, and former teammate Austin Barnes couldn't be any happier. Advertisement Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in baseball history to record 3,000 strikeouts, securing his spot with a sixth-inning punchout of Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra. The three-time NL Cy Young winner finished with three strikeouts in six innings. Unfortunately for Barnes, he wasn't the man behind the plate catching Kershaw's historic feat. Barnes joined the rival San Francisco Giants this month after 11 seasons and two titles with the Dodgers. "3K for my brother! 🐐🐐 crazy accomplishment," Barnes wrote on Instagram. Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw and catcher Austin Barnes in 2017Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Barnes hit .223 with 35 homers and a .660 OPS over 612 plate appearances with the Dodgers. He became a fan favorite despite his lack of hitting and relatively sparse playing time—Barnes hadn't played more than 77 games in a season since 2018—in recent years. Advertisement The White Sox also honored Kershaw on social media, even if it meant ignoring the final score. "FINAL: Congratulations to Clayton Kershaw on 3,000 career strikeouts," the club wrote on X/Twitter instead of posting about the Dodgers' 5-4 victory. We'll see how many more highlights the 37-year-old Kershaw has left in him. He owns a 3.43 ERA and 32-14 K-BB ratio in 44 2 /3 innings for the first-place Dodgers. Related: 3 MLB Landing Spots for SP Luis Severino Before Trade Deadline Related: Shohei Ohtani Makes Home Run History in Latest Dodgers Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Clayton Kershaw reached milestone as his ex-catcher tried ‘to will it over the phone'
Austin Barnes, a mainstay behind the plate for Clayton Kershaw's career, was not at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night. He was not behind the plate, as he'd been for 86 of the southpaw's starts. He was not by his close friend's side. Barnes was in Arizona, ramping up to restart his season with the San Francisco Giants. Lying on his bed — his young son sleeping next to him — he watched Kershaw's historic 3,000-strikeout feat come and go on his iPhone. Advertisement 'I would I could have been there,' Barnes acknowledged. 'I'm just super excited for him. It's an unbelievable accomplishment.' Barnes, a Southern California native, was with the Dodgers for 11 seasons before he was DFA'd on May 14, just three days before Kershaw made his season debut. It marked the end of an elongated partnership between the two, one of mutual respect and reliance. The 35-year-old backstop signed a minor-league contract with the rival Giants on June 27, but is currently stationed at the team's complex in Scottsdale. Barnes, like everyone else, watched the ups and downs of the evening. Kershaw pushed the limits of his pitch count, tormenting his adoring fans with two-strike counts that did not result in a K. Barnes was living through it, just like everyone else. 'I was just like, 'Man, throw the curveball, throw the curveball,'' Barnes said. 'Get to two strikes and finish him. I was going along with the game, trying to get a strikeout with him. Trying to will it over the phone.' After the game, Barnes received a FaceTime call from Dodgers executive VP Lon Rosen, who was with the superstar pitcher, bouncing around from one postgame celebration to the next. Rosen put Barnes on with Kershaw. This is how it should have been, given the pair's history. This should have been in person. But it's where they were, where the Dodgers were. Barnes had just a .518 OPS in 13 games for the Dodgers this season, with declining defensive metrics. The organization had Dalton Rushing, an exciting catching prospect that they were ready to call up. Ultimately, that reality overrode the sentimentality of having Barnes behind the plate to complete Kershaw's journey. So, it led them to this: a conversation on FaceTime. 'Kersh was around,' Barnes said. 'Obviously, he was getting thousands of text messages from everybody. I texted him and all that. He was just doing his thing after the game. Trying to comprehend it all, I would assume. Advertisement 'I just said, 'Congrats, dude, I'm proud of you.' And that was pretty much it, I let him get back to what he was doing.' Barnes was proactive in taking the attention off himself when discussing Kershaw. At one point, he stopped himself mid comment about not being there. 'This isn't about me or anything like that.' 'I'm just happy to be back there for as many as I was,' Barnes said. 'He was a great teammate, a great friend.' The night was, of course, not about Barnes. But it's also hard to divorce Barnes from the moment, given how much of a role he played in Kershaw's career. Barnes was behind the plate for 551 of those K's, spending more years as Kershaw's teammate than anyone else. Only A.J. Ellis, who caught Kershaw for the first eight-plus years of his big-league career, has more strikeouts received. Barnes's career stats will never stand out. He's collected just 35 homers and 4.4 WAR. His legacy is directly tied to Kershaw's. And in some ways, Kershaw's to him. 'I always took pride when I caught him, to go out there or have him throw up zeroes,' Barnes said. 'I took it real personal when we didn't do well. But he's the one throwing the ball. 'Obviously, (this milestone) means more to me because of how close I am with Kersh. But he did that. I think he's one of the greatest pitchers of all time.' After the game, Kershaw had a roster full of friends and teammates to celebrate with. He had his family, including his wife Ellen and their four children. He had Dodgers staffers, coaches, and ballpark workers — a host of people who have been by his side. He had the 53,000 cheering fans. 'I told my teammates, individual awards are great,' Kershaw said. 'But if you don't have anybody to celebrate with, it doesn't matter.' But Barnes wasn't there. The backstop knows that at some point, the two will catch up and discuss it all. They just couldn't do it on the night it mattered most. Advertisement 'It's so hard to get to 3,000, man. You have to pitch so long and you have to stay healthy,' Barnes said. 'I don't know how many people will do that again, honestly. 'You want to be there. … I wish I could have been there for him. But yeah, it is what it is.' (Top photo of Clayton Kershaw and Austin Barnes: Dennis Wierzbicki / Imagn Images)
Reuters
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Giants sign C Austin Barnes to minor-league deal
June 30 - Catcher Austin Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the San Francisco Giants. The 35-year-old Barnes is expected to train at the Giants' rookie facility in Arizona. San Francisco opens a series at the Diamondbacks on Monday night. Barnes was with the Dodgers for parts of 11 seasons. He joined the team in 2015 but was designated for assignment on May 14. He has a career batting average of .223 with 35 home runs and 162 RBIs in 612 games. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Dodgers World Series Champion Lands a Deal With Divisional Rival on Sunday
Former Dodgers World Series Champion Lands a Deal With Divisional Rival on Sunday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the Los Angeles Dodgers turn towards younger prospects while continuing their pursuit of repeating as World Series champions in 2025, some well-known names haven't been with the team this season. Advertisement Former Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes was given the unfortunate news that Los Angeles was moving on from him on May 14, as he was released alongside Chris Taylor in a week's span. Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (15) celebrates with designated hitter Chris Taylor (3) after scoring in the fifth inning as Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) reacts at Dodger Lee-Imagn Images Los Angeles called up 2022 second-round pick Dalton Rushing earlier this season, showing that manager Dave Roberts was in pursuit of a different option at the catching position. All-Star Will Smith has a secure position on the roster with his $140 million contract, so Austin Barnes, who was the guy on the hot seat, was let go to make Rushing the replacement for a struggling Barnes moving forward. Austin Barnes would then take on free agency, and after over a month of searching for a new team to land on, it's been announced that the two-time World Series champion signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. After serving his entire 11-year career with the Dodgers, Barnes will continue his baseball journey with Los Angeles' division rival. Advertisement Although Barnes sigend a minor league deal, he wil start with the Giants' Arizona Complex League team to get back into playing shape. He will likely be inserted into the Giants' 40-man roster sometime this season and provide depth for them in a struggling catcher position. The two catchers the Giants have on roster, Patrick Bailey and Andrew Knizner, have both been struggling to find a groove this 2025 season. Bailey currently has a .194 BA and Knizner has a .103 BA, so Austin Barnes will likely have a chance at appearing on the 40-man roster sometime within the season. In the 42 at-bats Barnes appeared in for the Dodgers this season, he posted a .214 BA, .233 OBP, .286 SLG, and a .518 OPS while hitting two RBI. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Letters to Sports: Dodgers should honor Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor walks in the dugout before a game between the Dodgers and Angels at Angel Stadium in September. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) It would be nice if the Dodgers could schedule a special day to honor Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor, giving fans and teammates a chance to provide a proper farewell for this pair of beloved, true-blue Dodgers. Anthony Moretti Lomita I'm sure Taylor and Barnes are nice guys, but they've been making millions of dollars and haven't performed for years. I don't think anyone has to feel sorry for them. Advertisement Mike Schaller Temple City Fans of '70s-era sci-fi movies can see clear parallels between the classic 'Logan's Run' and the Dodgers' front office behavior. Like the movie's plot, the Dodgers have concluded that former impact players now over age 30 are expendable and must be immediately eliminated. The struggling Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández must be taking note. Rob Fleishman Placentia Train to Oh-where Spell check can be so maddening. Recently a friend sent me a text with a spell check that I thought could catch on. He was spelling Ohtani and spell check changed it to OTrain. I like it. Dave Snyder Grand Terrace Rushing to judgment With Clayton Kershaw returning to the mound for the first time since last summer, why on earth would the Dodgers put rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, who knows nothing about Clayton, behind the plate when Will Smith, who's been catching him for years and knows everything, was available? Will someone please explain the logic behind that for me. Advertisement Jack Wishard Los Angeles Too much hustle Times Sports stories on USC ("Riley one of top-paid coaches at $11.5 million") and UCLA ("UCLA athletics works to trim big deficit") shows how college athletics has changed since I graduated from college (1964) and entered college teaching (1973). Athletic programs used to be ways in which universities kept students entertained and alumni involved (as donors), a side hustle to their main activity of education. Now, with coaches with eight-figure salaries, athletes with seven-figure NIL incomes, and transfer portals, education at universities has become the side hustle to athletic programs. How time changes. Henry A. Hespenheide Hermosa Beach Winning = $$$ UCLA wouldn't need to resort to "dynamic ticket pricing" to improve home attendance were it not for their inability to field an actual dynamic football team. Advertisement Steve Ross Carmel First things first So Lincoln Riley is considering dropping Notre Dame from its long-term football schedule to enhance the Trojans' chances of winning a national title? Lincoln, maybe you should work on beating the Marylands and Minnesotas of the world before annoiting USC a title contender! Jack Wolf Westwood Lincoln Riley says that USC has to "make a decision about what's best for SC to win a national championship' when considering whether to continue playing Notre Dame every year. I have news for you, Lincoln: If losing to Notre Dame knocks you out of a 12-team playoff, you weren't going to win the national championship anyway. Advertisement Brian Gotta San Diego What might have been So let's review this again. Overrated Clippers president Lawrence Frank says he does not regret trade of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round picks for Paul George. Mr. Ballmer: This one is up there with the Babe Ruth and Kareem trades. Billions don't guarantee anything if you have poor leaders. Weren't you CEO of Microsoft? David Bialis San Diego All they do is win The only time The Times writes about the Angels is during the Freeway Series. I wish the Angels could play the Dodgers more often, not for the articles, for the wins. Peter Zovak Temple City Good thing the Dodgers are not in the AL West. Advertisement William Morris Pasadena The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used. Email: sports@ Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
