Clayton Kershaw's 2017 World Series Splits Make Astros' Ridiculous Home Dominance Look Even Worse

By this point, it's no shocker that the Houston Astros were playing on a completely different level at home in 2017 thanks to their sign-stealing scheme. Plenty of their stars played far better at Minute Maid Park than they did on the road during that World Series run, and knowing which pitch was coming with a certain amount of frquency certainly did not hurt matters.

But what often goes unconsidered is the equal and opposite struggles of opposing pitchers. Look no further than Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw's misfires against the Astros on the road in the 2017 World Series compared to Chavez Ravine. The splits are dizzying.

The numbers are absolutely night and day. In Los Angeles, the Astros couldn't get anything going against him. Kershaw struck out 15 men in 11 innings of work while allowing just a single run.

But in Houston, it was a completely different story. In his lone road start of that World Series, Kershaw got tagged for six earned runs in fewer than five innings of work.

In fact, in that fateful Game 5 performance, Kershaw registered just four swinging strikes against the Astros. They weren't fooled by anything that he had to offer.

These splits shine a bright light on just how much the Astros could benefit from sign-stealing. They had nothing on Kershaw on the road, but when it came time to play him at home, they basically turned the World Series into batting practice.