Kershaw gives the people what they want
This was the game that we had all been waiting for. Sure, Kershaw has pitched well since the debacle in Saint Louis, but nothing like what we knew he could do.
This was our Kershaw, the one we have seen every fifth day since 2010. The one who has staked his claim as the best pitcher in baseball. This was what we wanted the rest of the world to see.
And it was beautiful.
Hard sliders, beautiful curves, location location location. For 21 outs, not 20 and baserunners, but 21 outs. No inherited runners to muck up the works. He did his job, he shut out the Cubs, and he then he watched Kenley Jansen finish it up.
Facing the best team in baseball (for the moment) Kershaw blew through the lineup as though Don Larson was on his mind. Once four innings were in the book, I started tracking his game score and it slowly climbed inning by inning until it sat at 78. Game Scores are dependent upon strikeouts to put up huge numbers, but as far as games go this one was about as good as it gets. This game put Clayton on the postseason map with the other Dodger legends. Clayton can now stand with Drysdale, Koufax, Don Sutton, Orel, Fernando, Hooten, Ruess, and Lima.
Kenley Jansen was setting his own history with a stellar six out save. Plowing through the meat of the Cub lineup in the 9th inning as though he had six Morgan horses pulling him.
- First 1 – 0 victory for the LAD since Don Drysdale shut out the Yankee’s in the 1963 World Series.
- Highest postseason game score ever for Clayton Kershaw
- First six out or more save for a LAD since Jay Howell in 1988, game four of the World Series
- Highest postseason LAD game score since Jose Lima in 2004
- Clayton has now won his last four postseason starts
- Clayton has had his hand in all four Dodger postseason wins in 2016.
- Just this week alone, Clayton started on three days rest and won, got a save on one day’s rest, and threw the best LAD postseason game in twelve years on Sunday.
Click this link for the complete list of LAD Postseason game scores >= 70 from Baseball Reference for more information on the games shown below.
Below is shortened list with LAD postseason game scores >= 75.
| Player | Date ▴ | Series | GSc | Rslt |
| Don Drysdale | 10/5/1963 | WS | 89 | W 1-0 |
| Sandy Koufax | 10/14/1965 | WS | 88 | W 2-0 |
| Sandy Koufax | 10/11/1965 | WS | 88 | W 7-0 |
| Orel Hershiser | 10/16/1988 | WS | 87 | W 6-0 |
| Don Sutton | 10/5/1974 | NLCS | 84 | W 3-0 |
| Tommy John | 10/5/1978 | NLCS | 81 | W 4-0 |
| Jose Lima | 10/9/2004 | NLDS | 80 | W 4-0 |
| Orel Hershiser | 10/12/1988 | NLCS | 80 | W 6-0 |
| Burt Hooton | 10/12/1977 | WS | 80 | W 6-1 |
| Sandy Koufax | 10/6/1963 | WS | 79 | W 2-1 |
| Sandy Koufax | 10/2/1963 | WS | 79 | W 5-2 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 10/16/2016 | NLCS | 78 | W 1-0 |
| Jerry Reuss | 10/7/1981 | NLDS | 78 | L 0-1 |
| Don Sutton | 10/9/1974 | NLCS | 78 | W 12-1 |
| Fernando Valenzuela | 10/10/1981 | NLDS | 78 | W 2-1 |
| Zack Greinke | 10/4/2014 | NLDS | 78 | W 3-2 |
| Jerry Reuss | 10/11/1981 | NLDS | 78 | W 4-0 |
| Don Drysdale | 10/10/1965 | WS | 78 | W 7-2 |
| Fernando Valenzuela | 10/19/1981 | NLCS | 77 | W 2-1 |
| Claude Osteen | 10/9/1965 | WS | 77 | W 4-0 |
| Jerry Reuss | 10/25/1981 | WS | 76 | W 2-1 |
| Orel Hershiser | 10/20/1988 | WS | 76 | W 5-2 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 10/3/2013 | NLDS | 76 | W 6-1 |
| Ramon Martinez | 10/2/1996 | NLDS | 75 | L 1-2 |
| Zack Greinke | 10/11/2013 | NLCS | 75 | L 2-3 |
| Tommy John | 10/8/1977 | NLCS | 75 | W 4-1 |
- Posted in: 2016 Dodgers ♦ 2016 Postseason ♦ Clayton Kershaw ♦ Uncategorized
- Tagged: Clayton Kershaw, Jose Lima, Kenley Jansen
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 
The Minotaur.
The best pitcher going today.
The feeling I get watching him play is the same as when I saw Drysdale and Koufax play.
Just as good as it gets.
Thanks to you Phil, and everyone at DT back in the day, this is a guy that I have been able to follow from his times in the minors leauges to the present, rather than just knowing about him from reports in the newspaper.
Congrats on another great article.
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Thanks, Gary, and I saw your comment on TBLA regarding politics. Just to let you know I have no rules here, and I will post some very political stuff since I’m writing mainly for myself. When I was the editor at TBLA we did not have a no-politics rule. We had no rules whatsoever except no name calling. We had such few comments, rules seemed unnecessary. Eric Stephen added rules when the site started to flourish and he became the editor.
That said I would have little respect for a comedian or a writer who is afraid to alienate his audience.
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Discussing politics does not bother me.
My point with the part time comedian was that no matter what side your on these days, half the people are going to disagree with you. Who gives a shit if the old man “deserves respect”?
I purchase tickets or tune in to sporting events to be entertained, not to be involved in any form of political protest. So, on principle, I have taken a knee on the NFL and The NBA. I want to believe that Gonzalez was just answering a reporter’s question. I do not read USA Today, and if the comment had not been put in my face would have been blissfully unaware of it. If Gonzalez makes a project out of it, I will take a knee on him too.
My opinion is that in politics today, most people base their allegiance on emotion rather than critical thinking.
My son did not watch the second debate. He asked what I thought of it.
I told him it was like they gave each candidate a bucket of shit and a wooden spoon and then let each candidate take turns smearing the crap on one another.
There are always serious issues in the world. Today they are not given much time.
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