Clayton Kershaw. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw‘s mom, Marianne Tombaugh, passed away one day before Mother’s Day.
Clayton’s wife, Ellen Kershaw, confirmed the news on Saturday, May 13, while delivering a speech in honor of a new baseball field built by the couple’s charity.
“Today, we dedicate this field to his sweet mom who passed and went to be with the lord this morning. She experienced no greater joy than watching her son grow into the man, the philanthropist, the father and the ballplayer that he is today,” Ellen, 35, who shares kids Cali, 8, Charley, 6, Cooper, 3, and Chance, 18 months, with the athlete, 35, said in an emotional speech, according to The Associated Press.
Clayton Kershaw, Ellen Kershaw. Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The author continued: “Clayton grew up with a baseball in his hand ready to play a game in a sandlot or on a ballfield just like this one on a moment’s notice. Now he’s getting to relive that falling-in-love with the game feeling through the eyes of his kids and through the eyes of kids like y’all,” she told the audience.”
Ellen, who made a solo appearance at the field dedication in California, concluded by honoring her husband’s mother. “One person in particular cultivated that love in Clayton, his dear mama, Marianne, who moved mountains to get him to baseball practice and games,” she said. “She sat front row cheering him on not so subtly and kept score in a book to keep her nerves at bay.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted to The Los Angeles Times that Clayton is set to pitch on Tuesday, May 16, against the Minnesota Twins. According to Roberts, 50, the MLB player might sit out upcoming games if he takes bereavement following his mother’s death.
The outlet added that Clayton was on the field with the Dodgers on Saturday and participated in some exercises in the bullpen. “He’s doing OK,” Roberts told reporters on Sunday, May 14. “I’m sure this is a day that he has a heavy heart. When you’re dealing with the passing of a parent, that’s up there as tough as it gets.”
The Texas native, for his part, has yet to publicly address the tragic loss.
Clayton took to social media on Sunday to pay tribute to his wife in honor of Mother’s Day. “With every year that passes, I become more and more thankful that our kids have you as a mom. Happy Mother’s Day to the best to ever do it!” he wrote alongside several photos of Ellen and their kids.
