Clayton Kershaw Begins To Rewrite World Series Narrative With 8-Strikeout Performance

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers has already cemented his legacy as one of the greatest starting pitchers of his generation and is universally celebrated for his dominance over 13 regular seasons. However, he is burdened by the perception that he cannot excel during the postseason. Kershaw’s immaculate career lacks both a signature World Series moment and championship that would easily catapult him into the pantheon of iconic postseason pitchers. The mystique and aura that surrounds Kershaw during the regular season appears to gently fade away as the calendar turns to October.

During Game One the 2020 World Series, Kershaw took a bold step forward in rewriting his World Series narrative. The Dodgers had defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 8-3, but it was Kershaw who was the story of the ball game. Over six innings (78 pitches), Kershaw struck out eight batters while allowing one earned run on two hits and one base on balls. His only blemish was a two out, solo home run by Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier in the top of the fifth inning. Prior to the home run, Kershaw had retired 13 consecutive Rays’ batters. He set a tone of confidence and control that inspired the Dodgers’ offense to erupt for eight runs over the course of the fourth through sixth innings.       

At the outset of Game One, it was often discussed how Kershaw had the highest earned run average (4.30) among pitchers with 100 postseason innings as a starter according to Baseball-Reference.com. After his Game One performance, Kershaw’s earned run average had dropped to 4.21. He now trails both CC Sabathia (4.29) and Zack Greinke (4.22) when it comes to pitchers with the highest earned run average in the postseason (minimum 100 innings).   

The MLB Network emphasized how Kershaw’s career postseason pitching splits dramatically changed after the first five innings. For instance, Kershaw’s earned run average jumped from 3.59 in the first five innings to 7.31 from the sixth inning and beyond in postseason ball games. The opponent’s on base plus slugging percentage also saw a significant increase from .614 to .840 over the same innings breakdown.   

However, no one was talking about where he ranked in terms of postseason strikeouts. After an eight-strikeout performance against the Rays, Kershaw now has 201 strikeouts over 183.1 innings which now ranks him second on the career postseason strikeouts list. He surpassed Hall of Famer John Smoltz (199), who was calling the ball game for FOX Sports as an analyst. Kershaw only trails Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (205) for the all-time leader in this statistical category. The emptiness that has consumed Kershaw when it comes to October failures could all but disappear with a postseason strikeout record, another pitching victory in the World Series, and possibly his first championship.   

Kershaw is the first pitcher in Dodgers’ history to have started three Game One’s in the World Series (2017, 2018, 2020). Rube Marquard (1916, 1920), Don Newcombe (1949, 1955), and Don Drysdale (1965, 1966) each were Game One starting pitchers on two occasions. Overall, Kershaw has now posted a 2-2 record with a 4.68 earned run average over six World Series games (five starts). In 32.2 innings, Kershaw has surrendered 17 earned runs over 25 hits while striking out 35 batters.  

Kershaw’s pitching repertoire relied heavily on sliders and four-seam fastballs with an occasional curve ball. In total, Kershaw threw 35 sliders at an average speed of 87 miles per hour. His 31 four-seam fastballs averaged 91 miles per hour while his 12 curve balls averaged 74 miles per hour. Over the 21 batters that Kershaw had faced in his six innings of work, he was able to generate first pitch strikes 13 times.  

The back of Clayton Kershaw’s baseball card is immersed in italicized black ink demonstrating his excellence as a statistical leader in several categories. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and 2014 Most Valuable Player is a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer as he is also the epitome of sportsmanship, integrity, and character. Kershaw has carried the burden of being the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers and his postseason shortcomings for far too long. As the window of opportunity does not stay open forever, Kershaw appears ready to seize the day and finally call himself a World Series champion.