ALL DODGERS NO SIGN OF A
Kershaw pitches like ace, Betts puts on show as L.A. takes 1-0 Series lead
ARLINGTON, Texas — Clayton Kershaw’s redemption tour almost ended before it began. He had two on with one out, his slider wasn’t sliding like usual, and oh man, here we go again. Despite three NL Cy Young Awards, due to his middling playoff numbers, the Best Pitcher of the Decade* has an asterisk large enough to make you think his teammates might be banging a trash can from the dugout.
(But no, that was just his opponent in Houston, feeding into his narrative while creating its own.)
Even factoring a dubious entanglement with the Astros, Kershaw has not been his ace-like self. But by throwing six innings of one-onerun ball against the Rays in a comfortable 8-3 victory in Game 1 of the World Series, he continued to build a different story during the 2020 playoffs.
It started with Kershaw wiggling out of that rough first inning unscathed. Then, by the second inning, he recovered his slider and continued silencing the Rays bats, at one point sitting down 15 in a row — many of them swinging through his replenished breaking ball. His dominance with the slide piece was especially impressive given the Rays’ talent at hitting breaking balls. The only real blemish was a Kevin Kiermaier solo shot.
“I was bouncing my slider like 48 feet, and didn’t quite make the adjustment until the second inning,” said Kershaw.
“He said he’ll find it,” said Austin Barnes, who catches Kershaw regularly. “And he did.” Assured as Kershaw sounds when Barnes tells the story of the game, the veteran lefty said confidence was his only option.
“I don’t really have an alternative,” said Kershaw, who throws the slider nearly 40% of the time according to Statcast. “I kind of have to figure it out.”
As important as Kershaw’s game was, for his team first and foremost looking at a bullpen game on Wednesday, but certainly, for the final touches on his own legacy, this could have easily been The Mookie Betts Game. The second-best player in baseball behind Mike Trout, has, over the last few days, been the absolute best player on defense alone.
On Tuesday night, the bat and legs added to Betts’ glove, as he crushed a home run off Rays reliever Josh Fleming and stole two bases in one inning — including the front end of a double steal — to help the Dodgers pad their lead against the Rays. The other recent MVP in the Dodgers outfielder, Cody Bellinger, hit a bomb of his own while making a home run-saving grab in center field, adding to the Dodgers’ dazzling defensive collection in Globe Life Field.
Up 1-0 in the Series, the Dodgers’ legacy is, understandably, inextricably tied to their signature player, but after Tuesday’s win, they’re a step closer to joining Kershaw in redeeming their last decade of incredible success without the ultimate prize.