JUST ONE THING, LEFTY
Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw can silence his playoff detractors with a World Series win,
LOS ANGELES— In the Twilight Zone of October, the clock turns back at Dodger Stadium, to the moments that defined World Series champions. Orel Hershiser, steely and standing tall. Fernando Valenzuela, eyes to the sky. The great Sandy Koufax, the very picture of pitching.
And that brings us to Game 1 on Tuesday night, when the L.A. Dodgers host the Houston Astros. Up on the bump, on baseball’s biggest stage, we finally will see Clayton Kershaw. About time, right? Kershaw has done most everything an ace can accomplish — three Cy Young Awards, five ERA crowns, three strikeout titles, a seven-time all-star who’s also won an MVP trophy and thrown a no-hitter.
Now, against a backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains majestic at sunset, the lefty and his Dodgers make their pitch for the ultimate prize. “Who knows how many times I’m going to get to go to the World Series,” he said. “I know more than anybody how hard it is to get there.”
To those Kershaw plays with, he’s got nothing left to prove. A model of consistency, the Dodgers see him as money every time he takes the mound. At 29, Kershaw could walk away after this Series and head straight to Cooperstown. He’s 144-64 with a 2.36 ERA overall after going 18-4 with a 2.31 ERA this year.
Yet there is that one nagging set of stats that can’t be overlooked: 6-7 with an unsightly 4.40 ERA in the playoffs. Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Tom Glavine each had losing records in the postseason. Those guys also helped pitch their teams to championships.
Kershaw has excelled at times in October. He hung tough in Washington last season in the deciding Game 5 of the NL Division Series, earning his only big league save.
He threw six sharp innings last week in the clincher at Wrigley Field to dethrone the Cubs in the NL Championship Series. That made him 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA in three post-season starts this year.
But a truly signature moment, that’s still missing.