Clayton Kershaw's infamous postseason struggles continued in the Dodgers' 8-2 loss to the Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night. Kershaw, in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019, yielded five runs—four of them earned—on six hits, including two home runs in what potentially could have been his final pitching appearance at Dodger Stadium, depending on how the rest of the postseason shakes out for Los Angeles and what plans they have for the future Hall of Famer, who will retire at the end of the season.
But Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts, after being asked how difficult it was to watch such an accomplished player like Kershaw struggle, came to the defense of the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
"It was hard to watch," Betts said. "But we can't use two innings as—He's gonna have a statue in front of Dodger Stadium. So we have to kind of keep that in mind and understand in the grand scheme of things, Kershaw is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best pitchers to ever do it. So if you let two innings kind of ruin that, then you don't know baseball."
In addition to his three Cy Young Awards, Kershaw is an 11-time All-Star, a former MVP, a five-time winner of the ERA title, a former Gold Glover and a World Series champion. He is undoubtedly one of the best pitchers to ever toe the rubber. But, aside from his standout performance during the Dodgers' 2020 World Series triumph in the pandemic-shortened season, Kershaw's postseason results have left a lot to be desired.
But to his credit, Kershaw faced the music after the game and answered the tough questions from the media, repeatedly emphasizing that he felt "fine" coming out of the bullpen, even though such an appearance has not been the norm for his career.
"Just a tough couple of innings there," Kershaw said after the game. "Kind of got bailed out there in the seventh. Good play by 'Teo [Teoscar Hernandez]. Just didn't make enough good pitches. I was battling command. It's hard when you're trying to throw strikes as opposed to getting people out. Just wasn't a fun thing."
Kershaw made it clear that the Dodgers, up 2-1 over the Phillies in the best-of-five series, are still "in a good spot."
Los Angeles can advance to its second straight National League Championship Series with a win in Game 4 on Thursday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mookie Betts Defends Clayton Kershaw's Legacy After Another Rough Playoff Outing.
