BOSTON _ Soon after the Los Angeles Dodgers landed here on Sunday, Clayton Kershaw caught a ride to Fenway Park. He has never pitched here in his 10-year career, and he was operating under a schedule misaligned by his appearance as a reliever in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. In order to be ready to start Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, Kershaw needed to get in a workout.
So he climbed atop the bullpen mound, clad in a long-sleeve T-shirt and shorts, to reorient his delivery. He practiced his motion without throwing a baseball, ensuring he would be ready to face Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale in the Series opener.
Kershaw threw 15 pitches in the ninth inning on Saturday. He treated it like a highly adrenalized bullpen session.
"Obviously the intensity is different, and things like that," Kershaw said. "But that's why I came here yesterday to make sure everything was good. Should be good."
The Dodgers will line up Hyun-Jin Ryu for Game 2 and Walker Buehler for Game 3, manager Dave Roberts said. The team has not announced Rich Hill as the Game 4 starter, but he is the most likely option.
Ryu will duel David Price in Game 2. Boston will use Rick Porcello and Nathan Eovaldi in Games 3 and 4, but both will be available in relief for the first two nights.
Kershaw remains in search of a championship. He came close in 2017. He dominated Houston in Game 1, wilted in Game 5 and contributed four scoreless innings in the Game 7 defeat. Asked how important a title was to him, he did not mince words.
"It's pretty critical," Kershaw said. "I really want to win the World Series. I think that's no different than the other 50 guys in both locker rooms, though."
