Clayton and Ellen Kershaw welcomed his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates, celebrities and professional athletes to Dodger Stadium on Thursday for the 10th annual Kershaw’s Challenge Ping Pong 4 Purpose, which was hosted by Cedric The Entertainer and Max Greenfield.
It marked a second consecutive year Kershaw’s Challenge held their signature event in person after it was paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. This year’s event included a new wrinkle with the start of a poker tournament preceding the ping pong play and resuming to wrap up the night.
Money raised during the 2023 Ping Pong 4 Purpose was to support this year’s Kershaw’s Challenge beneficiaries: The Dream Center, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Arise Africa, Both Ends Believing, International Justice Mission and Hope Walks.
“We just raise money for kids, is the goal,” Clayton Kershaw said from the blue carpet. “Tonight is kind of the culmination of that, to bring awareness and raise more money for them. Every year it seems to get better and bigger. It’s just a ton of fun.”
While the focus of the night is for charitable purposes, players and celebrities alike get swept up in the excitement of the ping pong tournament as well.
Kershaw was paired with longtime Dodgers teammate Austin Barnes on the side of the bracket that also featured duos of Brad Paisley and Will Smith, Yency Almonte and Alex Vesia, Joel McHale and James Outman, among others.
Kershaw and Barnes advanced to the championship round, where they squared off against Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. A competitive match was won by Betts and Freeman, who celebrated by doing the All-Star first baseman’s dance from the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala that went viral.
Freddie Freeman was confident at Ping Pong 4 Purpose
Betts has developed a reputation for being talented at several facets outside of baseball, and he was paired with Freeman, who expressed confidence in his skillset.
“I’m actually pretty good,” Freeman told DodgerBlue.com before the event began. “So we’ll see how it goes in front of everybody. Really, my partner is pretty good too.”
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