Clayton Kershaw has had some great postseason moments in his career as well as plenty that he’d like to forget. Saturday night’s start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the National League Division Series fell decidedly into the latter category for Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers alike.
Arizona’s hitters jumped on Kershaw early. Ketel Marte led the game off for the Diamondbacks and doubled on the second pitch he saw. Corbin Carroll delivered an RBI single on the second pitch he saw, giving the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. Then, after Tommy Pham singled on an 0-2 pitch, Christian Walker delivered an RBI double, scoring Carroll and sending Pham to third.
Things went from bad to worse for Kershaw and the Dodgers when the next hitter, Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno, drilled a three-run home run. Before even recording an out, Kershaw and Los Angeles faced a 5-0 deficit.
"A disastrous start for Kershaw…5-0 D-Backs and every D-Back who has faced Kershaw has delivered a hit, and they've all been hit hard." pic.twitter.com/QkMqfVvNKt
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023
Kershaw finally got an out, when he retired Lourdes Gurriel Jr. But that was only a temporary reprieve. After Alek Thomas walked, Evan Longoria drilled a double. Thomas came around to score, giving the Diamondbacks a 6-0 lead. Dave Roberts went out to get Kershaw after the double, as well, pulling him after only one-third of an inning.
"Roberts comes to get Kershaw. He's had a rough time before in the postseason. This has to be the worst off all those outings."
Bob Costas on the call for a dismal Clayton Kershaw performance. pic.twitter.com/mH1A0IMIB2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023
Emmet Sheehan got the Dodgers out of the first inning with no more damage done. But the final line for Kershaw was ugly. In only one-third of an inning, he allowed six runs (all earned) on six hits.
Kershaw has a spot in the Hall of Fame reserved for him five years after he retires. He is, unquestionably, one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history. But postseason struggles were already a dominant part of Kershaw’s narrative before Saturday. And Game 1’s struggles did nothing to revise that narrative.
Such a weird part of Kershaw's story…unbelievable pitcher who just struggles in October https://t.co/PHzqkuMDeP
— Yianni Kourakis (@WPBF_Yianni) October 8, 2023
OMG. But not surprising. 🙁 I like Kershaw, too. https://t.co/svJBwM61d1
— ⚾️ Mary #FlyTheW 🐻 (@mchastain81) October 8, 2023
Playoffs Kershaw is back lol https://t.co/uHv7pWHCmo
— Bennie Mac – Be Nice… (@BenMcC1908) October 8, 2023
Greg Maddux wasn't especially impactful in the postseason, but Clayton Kershaw's disparity between the regular season and the playoffs is staggering especially given the large sample size https://t.co/Z18O9keAY9
— Brian Webber (@bwwebber) October 8, 2023
Kershaw’s past postseason starts have generally gone sour deeper into the games. So, while they might have ultimately left a bad taste for Kershaw, the Dodgers and their fans, they frequently have had enough positives to build on for a potential start later in the series or postseason. It’s hard to imagine anyone with the Dodgers finding anything positive out of this one.
