Clayton Kershaw is not the first great athlete to fail to deliver in key situations. The Dodgers’ lefty gave up back-to-back home runs Wednesday as the Nationals shocked the Dodgers and advanced to the NLCS. Here are others who have missed the mark with a lot on the line.
Dan Marino
Miami Dolphins Hall-of-Fame QB Dan Marino put up all sorts of amazing numbers in his career. However, he lost the only Super Bowl he played in for the Dolphins and overall had an 8-10 record in the postseason.
Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton made his reputation as a scrambling QB. It earned him a spot in Canton. However, the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants’ star never was able to deliver a championship. He went 6-5 in the postseason, all in his second run as a Purple Person. He threw six picks against one TD pass in three Super Bowl losses.
James Harden
“The Beard” James Harden has been in the playoffs 10 times without earning a ring. Harden is averaging almost 23 ppg in the postseason. However, he has not been able to lead a team to a championship. The pain increases when you realize he has been ousted from the postseason four times in the last five seasons by Golden State. Big numbers with no title.
Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills lost four consecutive Super Bowls. Another HOF QB, Kelly threw two TD passes in the losses and seven interceptions.
Greg Norman
“The Shark” Greg Norman had a six-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 1998 Masters. Nick Faldo closed strong and Norman folded, shooting a 78 to his rival’s 67. Ouch.
Ted Williams
The “Splendid Splinter” had one chance at a World Series in his wonderful career. He was far from his best as the Red Sox lost to the Cardinals in 1946 as Williams went 5-for-25, a far cry from his .342 regular-season average.
Chris Webber
Chris Webber still has not lived down the timeout he called when Michigan had none left in the NCAA Final in 1993. Webber called time and Michigan wound up on the short side against North Carolina
Clayton Kershaw
The Dodgers’ great lefty Clayton Kershaw inexplicably is not the same pitcher in the postseason as he is in the regular season. Kershaw is 169-74 with a 2.74 ERA in the regular season. He is 9-11 with a 4.43 ERA in the postseason. Truly bizarre.
