Clayton Kershaw's Latest Playoff Meltdown for Dodgers Will Officially Affect His Legacy
By Karl Rasmussen
Clayton Kershaw's regular-season resume is one of the best of all time among pitchers. He's virtually untouchable on the rubber from April-September, but something changes when the calendar turns to October.
Perhaps more than any star pitcher in MLB history, Clayton Kershaw constantly falters in the playoffs. For someone as highly touted as the Dodgers' southpaw, his inconsistency on the biggest stages has plagued his legacy.
Juan Soto picked a HECK of a time for the longest HR of his career.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 10, 2019
449 ft off Clayton Kershaw.
That's longer than any other HR he'd hit in his career to this point, including the playoffs.
Kersh entered in the seventh inning against the Nationals in Game 5. He quickly struck out Adam Eaton to end the inning before getting back out there in the eighth.
Well, that's when things went south, as he served up back-to-back jacks to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, surrendering LA's lead and subsequently being pulled from the game.
It's a tale as old as time with Kershaw. The 31-year-old has made a living off of disappointing Dodgers fans in October, and every time it's the same. He enters the game with fans feeling confident that THIS TIME he'll get the job done with ease. It's almost never the case.
clayton kershaw’s attempt to overcome the playoff narrative pic.twitter.com/p2jwTNIj27
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 10, 2019
All you need to know is that he's 9-11 with a 4.43 ERA in 32 playoff games. His regular-season ERA? 2.44.
The Dodgers continue to trot him out there in key moments, refusing to accept the fact that their fan favorite ace simply doesn't have it in him to compete at his highest level in October. For that, his legacy will officially be affected considering the window isn't exactly going to remain wide open forever for the Dodgers to win the World Series.