How great was Kershaw last night

Phil Gurnee ♦ October 25, 2017 ♦ Leave a comment

Let me count the ways using Baseball Reference as my roadmap.

Clayton is only one of three pitchers to strikeout at least ten hitters and walk zero hitters in any World Series. It was last done by Cliff Lee in 2009. Before that you have to go all the way back to Don Newcombe in 1949, Big Kudos to Newk because he did that in an era where the strikeout % was very low compared to 2017.

Rk            Player       Date Series Gm#  Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
10   Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-24     WS   1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3  1  0 11  78
11      Don Newcombe 1949-10-05     WS   1 BRO NYY L 0-1 8.0 5  1  0 11  79
12         Cliff Lee 2009-10-28     WS   1 PHI NYY W 6-1 9.0 6  0  0 10  83

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.

How about double-digit strikeouts while pitching only seven innings? Only seven pitchers ever accomplished this in the World Series. The first was a relief pitcher named Moe Drabowsky who did it against the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series. The man pitched 6 2/3 of ridiculous relief. Still the greatest relief work in the history of the World Series.  John Smoltz who called the game last night for Fox is on this list.

Player                    Date Series Gm#  Tm Opp  Rslt  IP H ER BB SO GSc
Moe Drabowsky       1966-10-05     WS   1 BAL LAD W 5-2 6.2 1  0  2 11
Blue Moon Odom      1972-10-18     WS   3 OAK CIN L 0-1 7.0 3  1  2 11  76
Orlando Hernandez   1999-10-23     WS   1 NYY ATL W 4-1 7.0 1  1  2 10  79
John Smoltz         1999-10-27     WS   4 ATL NYY L 1-4 7.0 6  3  3 11  61
Roger Clemens       2001-11-04     WS   7 NYY ARI L 2-3 6.1 7  1  1 10  64
Adam Wainwright     2013-10-28     WS   5 STL BOS L 1-3 7.0 8  3  1 10  58
Clayton Kershaw     2017-10-24     WS   1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3  1  0 11  78

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.

How about Los Angeles Dodger lore:

This game puts Clayton Kershaw among the big boys. It is hard to get a game score above 75 while pitching only seven innings but he managed to do it. Everyone else on this list pitched nine innings.

This list has the greatest postseason game ever pitched given context by Sandy Koufax. It has two Orel Hershiser 1988 gems against the Bash Brother A’s.  It has the Don Drysdale game that humiliated the NYY and was the first postseason game ever pitched at Dodger Stadium in 1963 along with the game one by Sandy Koufax that set the modern day World Series strikeout record.  It also has Burt Hooten and Jerry Ruess two of the most underrated Dodgers starters to ever grace Dodger Stadium.

It now has Clayton Kershaw.  Welcome to the pantheon of Dodger World Series greatness.

Player                  Date Series Gm#  Tm Opp  Rslt   IP H ER BB SO GSc
Don Drysdale      1963-10-05     WS   3 LAD NYY W 1-0  9.0 3  0  1  9  89
Sandy Koufax      1965-10-14     WS   7 LAD MIN W 2-0  9.0 3  0  3 10  88
Sandy Koufax      1965-10-11     WS   5 LAD MIN W 7-0  9.0 4  0  1 10  88
Orel Hershiser    1988-10-16     WS   2 LAD OAK W 6-0  9.0 3  0  2  8  87
Burt Hooton       1977-10-12     WS   2 LAD NYY W 6-1  9.0 5  1  1  8  80
Sandy Koufax      1963-10-02     WS   1 LAD NYY W 5-2  9.0 6  2  3 15  79
Sandy Koufax      1963-10-06     WS   4 LAD NYY W 2-1  9.0 6  1  0  8  79
Clayton Kershaw   2017-10-24     WS   1 LAD HOU W 3-1  7.0 3  1  0 11  78
Don Drysdale      1965-10-10     WS   4 LAD MIN W 7-2  9.0 5  2  2 11  78
Claude Osteen     1965-10-09     WS   3 LAD MIN W 4-0  9.0 5  0  2  2  77
Orel Hershiser    1988-10-20     WS   5 LAD OAK W 5-2  9.0 4  2  4  9  76
Jerry Reuss       1981-10-25     WS   5 LAD NYY W 2-1  9.0 5  1  3  6  76

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.