Dodgers take opening game of World Series
Dominant Kershaw strikes out 11 in 3-1 win
Clayton Ker- shaw, who has spent much of his career epitomizing the Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason frustration, is looking much more like Sandy Koufax and Orel Hershiser these days.
Kershaw is shedding his playoff demons for all the world to see, and Tuesday evening in playoff-record 103-degree heat led the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. The game took 2:28, the fastest in a World Series since Game 4 of the 1992 edition.
Kershaw was dominant, yielding three hits and one run in seven innings and becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to strike out 11 batters in a postseason game since Koufax in Game 7 of the
1965 World Series. He tied Don Newcombe’s franchise record, set in Game 1 of the 1949 World Series, for the most strikeouts with- out a walk in the postseason.
Just like that, in one hot steamy evening, Kershaw exorcised the ghosts — real or perceived — of his October past.
This is a three-time Cy Young winner who’s been the best of his generation, but the playoffs have had a knack for tarnishing his legacy. He entered October with a
4-7 record and 4.55 ERA in the postseason, but this year he has flipped the script, going 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA.
Often, he was asked to do too much, starting on three days’ rest, getting two or three more outs as he tried to avoid a leaky bullpen. Now, he’s on the most complete Dodgers team in his decade with the club. Game 1 showed how great he can be knowing he doesn’t have to do it all.
Certainly, it looked like an old- fashioned black-and-white grainy pitching duel that we saw back in the day with Koufax. Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel gave up a home run on the first pitch he threw to Chris Taylor but matched Kershaw the rest of the game, until the sixth inning, when Justin Turner’s two-run home run provided the winning margin.
“When you’re a kid, you just hope you make it to the big leagues,” Kershaw said. “So to go play in the World Series, it’s an incredibly special moment. It’s an incredible feeling.” Especially when you rewrite your own narrative.