CHICAGO _ When Clayton Kershaw completed his first career save in the National League Division Series on Thursday, teammate Charlie Culberson found the game ball on the ground so Kershaw could collect it as a keepsake.
Somewhere down the line, Kershaw might reflect on that ball and that moment, but the Dodgers ace had little time for such thoughts as he prepared for his quick turnaround Sunday against the Cubs in Game 2 the NL Championship Series.
"As far as reflecting on it or anything like that, you just can't do it right now," Kershaw said. "It doesn't really matter at this point. I know the Cubs don't care."
Kershaw's focus on the task at hand was evident from the get-go at Wrigley Field.
Kershaw pitched 4 2/3 perfect innings before Javier Baez and Willson Contreras broke through with back-to-back singles. He didn't reach a three-ball count until the sixth inning, when Dexter Fowler popped out foul in a nine-pitch at-bat. And he didn't issue a walk until Anthony Rizzo reached on four straight balls to open the bottom of the seventh.
He had few scares through his seven-inning, six-strikeout performance, though he did visibly breathe a sigh of relief when Baez's fly ball was caught on the warning track in center field for the final out of the seventh.
He left with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Adrian Gonzalez home run in the second off Kyle Hendricks as the Dodgers avoided falling behind 2-0 in the series.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before the game that it would be "interesting to see" how Kershaw looked given his workload thus far in the playoffs.
Kershaw pitched three times in the five-game division series against the Nationals, throwing 101 pitches in Game 1, 110 pitches on three days' rest in Game 4 and seven pitches in a two-out save two days later.
He said Saturday that he entered Sunday with no restrictions and "no excuses at this point."
Kershaw has plenty of motivating factors to help him grind through this postseason run, including improving on a mediocre playoff resume before this year. In 16 career postseason appearances since 2008, including 12 starts entering Sunday, Kershaw had gone 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA.
He also missed more than two months with a herniated disc in his back this season, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he thinks that time off is motivating to his ace.
"Knowing he missed 2 { months, there's a big part of him that wants to be there for the guys like they were for him while he was down," Roberts said. "So I think that outside of how his arm feels, I think that part _ the mental, the heart, the compete _ wants to perform, not only for himself but for his teammates."
His teammates see that too.
"He grinds during the four days in between starts," said Dodgers infielder Chase Utley, who compared him to former Phillies teammate Roy Halladay. "He's watching a ton of video. Game day he's very quiet, very focused. He has blinders on, if you will. And believe it or not, playing with him, he's better than I thought he was. And that's a pretty big compliment, to be honest."
