ARLINGTON, Texas– Clayton Kershaws 2020 season at times appeared to look like a dreamscape. The wake-up call came late Saturday afternoon, during a routine bullpen session, with a shooting pain Kershaw had probably experienced many times before. The Los Angeles Dodgers training personnel spent the next 48 hours working vigilantly to eliminate the discomfort in Kershaws back in time for him to make his Game 2 start, up until he woke up Tuesday morning and didnt feel up for it.
A lot has been made about the difference in between Kershaws regular-season ERA (2.43 in 2,333 innings) and postseason ERA (4.23 in 172 1/3 innings, in spite of his dominance of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round) and what that might or may not state about his reaction to big minutes. And there have actually been a lot of instances when the Dodgers put Kershaw in uncompromising positions, either by extending him too long or using him out of the bullpen with little rest.
ARLINGTON, Texas– Clayton Kershaws 2020 season sometimes appeared to resemble a dreamscape. There was the vintage summer, which saw him tap back into the type of things that had actually appeared to be lost forever. And the dominant postseason opener, a plain pointer of the defects in the narrative of his playoff career. And the setting for the bulk of his October– minutes away from his home in Dallas, a fitting phase for the World Series prize that still notoriously avoids him.
The wake-up call came late Saturday afternoon, during a regular bullpen session, with a shooting discomfort Kershaw had most likely experienced countless times previously. His back spasmed. The National League Championship Series– the rest of this storybook season– was unexpectedly in jeopardy. The Los Angeles Dodgers training personnel invested the next 48 hours working diligently to ease the pain in Kershaws back in time for him to make his Game 2 start, until he awoke Tuesday morning and didnt feel up for it.
2 RelatedInstead, hell take the ball in Thursdays Game 4– following the Dodgers season-saving 15-3 thrashing over the Atlanta Braves– with a few of the highest stakes he has actually ever experienced.
Its the difference between tying this NLCS at 2 video games apiece or falling behind 3-1, a hole only 15% of groups have actually rebounded from in a best-of-seven series. Its the difference between breathing brand-new life into this exceptionally talented team or putting its season on the brink earlier than anticipated.
Could this be the most essential start of Kershaws career?
Well, possibly.
There also was Game 6 of the 2013 NLCS, when Kershaw allowed seven runs in four-plus innings to end the Dodgers season; Game 4 of the 2015 NL Division Series, when he pitched seven innings of one-run ball to force a decisive Game 5; Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS, when he was charged with five runs in the first five innings of an elimination loss to the Chicago Cubs; and Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, when he notoriously blew first a four-run lead and after that a three-run lead to help tilt the balance in the Houston Astros favor.
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The Dodgers, for as excellent as they have actually been through their run of 8 consecutive division titles, have never been this great. Few groups ever have. The dissatisfaction of not even reaching the last round with this group would trigger a new level of frustration for a Dodgers fan base still demanding the first title in a generation. A loss on Thursday would not simply require 3 consecutive wins; it would require beating both Max Fried and Ian Anderson, two progressing young starters who have actually limited the Dodgers to one run in 10 innings this series.
A lot has been made about the distinction in between Kershaws regular-season ERA (2.43 in 2,333 innings) and postseason ERA (4.23 in 172 1/3 innings, regardless of his supremacy of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round) and what that may or might not state about his action to huge minutes. However the surface numbers dont inform the entire story. There have actually been some duds along the method. There also has been some sparkle. And there have actually been a lot of instances when the Dodgers put Kershaw in uncompromising positions, either by extending him too long or utilizing him out of the bullpen with little rest.
Mostly, though, the prevailing idea of Kershaw as a “choker” is rooted in the memories that are most popular.
A huge showing in Game 4– coming off another back injury, against a high-powered offense, in his home town, with his group reeling– can change a few of that.
