For the bulk of Clayton Kershaw’s incredible Los Angeles Dodgers career, the story was mostly the same.
How could one of the generation’s best pitchers in the regular season not get it done in the playoffs?
In 2019, Kershaw was brought in to protect a 3-1 lead in Game 5 of the NLDS and gave up a pair of dingers (fans were VERY mad about that one). In 2018, he took a loss in Game 1 of the World Series and allowed three homers total to the Boston Red Sox in Game 5. In 2017, he had a disastrous start in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks and imploded against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the World Series that year.
The list goes on, with some good moments peppered in between. But the overall impression is that Kershaw’s reputation was cemented heading into yet another year with the Dodgers as top contenders.
The 2020 postseason has completely rewritten that story.
Kershaw pitched a six-strikeout gem on Sunday to get the win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the 2020 World Series, allowing just two runs and with fans furious at manager Dave Roberts for removing him in the middle of the sixth inning.
He fanned eight in Game 1 of the series and struck out 13 back in Game 2 of the Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The only loss in the 2020 postseason was a four-run mishap against the Atlanta Braves. The funny thing is he’s now the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts:
With his 206th strikeout, @ClaytonKersh22 now has the most strikeouts in #postseason history. pic.twitter.com/2P9VHGukAb
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2020
“It feels pretty good,’’ Kershaw said of Sunday’s game, via USA TODAY Sports. “Anytime you can have success in the postseason, it just means so much. That’s what you work for. That’s what you play for. I know what the other end of it feels like, too, so I’ll take it.’’
Indeed he does.
Now, the Dodgers have their chance in front of them to rewrite their postseason legacy — in the last few years — after so many promising playoffs were dashed to pieces.
Now, Kershaw could be a huge part of that redemption story.
