It has been spoken about over and over ever since Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams that he was childhood friends with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Both grew up in Texas and attended Highland Park High School and now both have helped bring championships to their respective Los Angeles teams.
Kershaw and the Dodgers are already on the road in trying to bring another World Series Championship home while the Rams will soon kick off their 2023 regular season in hopes of bouncing back from an ugly year. Stafford himself is looking to re-establish himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.
Just before the NFL season kicks off, the Dodgers hosted Rams night at Dodger Stadium. And it was Stafford throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to his good friend Kershaw to commemorate the night. And it was a pretty perfect first pitch as Stafford took the mound and threw a strike right down the middle. The fact that he is a quarterback likely gave him a bit of an advantage as he is used to throwing a ball hard and with accuracy.
Perhaps Stafford’s presence gave the Dodgers the boost needed to defeat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Sunday. The Braves had won the first three games of the series, a clash of the two top teams in the NL, but the Dodgers were able to avoid a sweep thanks to another outstanding outing from rookie pitcher Brandon Miller.
For Stafford, the attention now turns to the start of the regular season as he is healthy and ready to go in the Rams season opener on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. Stafford dealt with a pair of concussions as well as a spinal cord contusion and was limited to just nine games last season. The Rams as a whole dealt with an unbelievable amount of injuries but are now looking to surprise everyone as most are not predicting a playoff return.
Stafford’s 2022 season ended against the Seahawks so kicking this year off against them is only fitting as he, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald will look to set the tone for the season. But the biggest question going into this opener is whether Kupp will be on the field as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury. Whether or not that’s the case, Stafford will be ready to go as the Rams look to start this season with a win.
