Clayton Kershaw’s NBC broadcast debut had Dodgers fans in their feels

Clayton Kershaw returned to Dodger Stadium for Opening Day to take part in pregame World Series celebrations as a member of last year's squad ... but mostly as a brand new NBC employee.

NBC's deal with Kershaw for their new slate of baseball programming this season was a no-brainer. The Tigers' usual play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti drove commentary on Thursday, but he was joined by the Dodgers' own Orel Hershiser and Kershaw, who sat right next to the dugout he used to call home throughout LA's 8-2 win.

And he looked and sounded like a natural. Player-to-commentator transitions aren't always smooth, and some hires are blatant nostalgia-bait to try to boost ratings rather than ones that actually make for a good broadcast. But Kershaw never stumbled. His analysis was actually informative.

Seeing him on TV, but to one side of the dugout and not in it, in a suit and tie instead of a Dodgers uniform, had Dodgers fans feeling bittersweet.

He kicked off the broadcast by introducing Yoshinobu Yamamoto during warm-ups. It was the official end on an era and ushering in of a new one.

Clayton Kershaw's broadcast debut went off without a hitch and had Dodgers fans feeling bittersweet

Kershaw made his MLB debut the better part of two decades ago. Fans who were in diapers when he was a 20-year-old taking the mound for the first time are now all grown up. They were there with not just Kershaw but every Dodgers team he was a part of, through all of the ups-and-downs the franchise has ridden since 2008.

The Dodgers were different when Kershaw was getting his start. They were on the up-and-up after years of middling performance, but they still missed the postseason for all of 2010-2012, and even finished as low as fourth place in the NL West. Payroll looked different back then. Ownership was different. Guys like Matt Kemp and Andruw Jones and Manny Ramirez were still in the game.

Now Kershaw's 38, and he's hung up his cleats and joined all of them in retirement. He was on the sidelines watching the best roster the Dodgers have ever constructed go for a three-peat.

He was never going to be able to stick around forever, but that won't stop fans from wishing that he could. At least he was there for the start of the year, and his old squad treated him to a win.