The picture of Clayton Kershaw, slumped shoulders, head down,
sitting alone in the dugout, having surrendered the lead, nearly in tears, all
off it, won’t leave me for a while. Certainly, I’ve seen this particular image
of Kershaw before; once it was fully gleeful, after he surrendered 4-run and
3-run leads in Game 5 of the 2017 World Series (granted, it was Kenta Maeda who
technically gave up the 3-run lead). I was happy then. I am despondent now. I hurt
for Kershaw, the greatest pitcher I’ve ever seen in truth.
As a Peyton Manning fan, I know the pain of rooting for an athlete
unfairly singed with the label of ‘playoff choker.’ It will never leave me. I
remember it even after he won a Super Bowl – something that I’m sure will
happen with Kershaw even if the Dodgers win a World Series. I know how stupid
it all is, focusing on the 5% of a players career instead of the 95%.
Overlooking the times he was great in the playoffs but felled by his defense,
just the same with Kershaw. I know in my heart how great Peyton was, and how
great Clayton is. But I also know they’ll never get the respect they so fully
deserve.
With Kershaw, yes there have been terrible moments. There was the
Game 5 I already mentioned, when he blew a four run lead, giving up a truly
titanic home run to Yuli Gurriel, before then walking back-to-back guys before
getting pulled for Maeda (who would give up the home run to Altuve). There were
the two Cardinals disasters in 2013 and 2014. There was of course last night,
blowing a 3-1 lead in relief. But you know what there are reasons for all of
these that go beyond just Kershaw’s somehow sudden inability to pitch or
whatever people think inflicts him mentally in October.
But then again, I also remember Game 1 of the 2017 World Series,
when he was brilliant in seven innings in a 3-1 Dodgers win; or in Game 7 of
that series when he pitched three perfect innings in relief. I remember his
start in the 2017 NLCS against the Cubs, or other brilliant performances he’s
had at other points. This idea that Kershaw is awful in the playoffs is as
bullshit as the idea Manning was. He has had brilliant moments. He’s also had
bad ones.
What’s worse is the bad one’s are so often the fault of his managers
doing ridiculous things. In 2014, there was no need for Kershaw to pitch the
seventh inning having already thrown 96 pitches, but he did, and Matt Adams hit
a three-run home run off of a curveball, something that lefties can barely
touch during Kershaw’s prime. Through the sixth inning, Kershaw was brilliant.
Yes, in 2013 he was just terrible against the Cardinals, but that happens. And
then we get to yesterday.
The real goat was Dave Roberts – and frankly everyone realizes this
and he probably will lose his job. There was no reason for Kershaw to pitch the
eighth inning. This idea that you should use starters in relief is one of the
most absurd trends in baseball. It works at times if you have to eat a lot of
innings, or if you’re bullpen is a mess (see: 2017 Astros), but the Dodgers
have a good bullpen and needed just six outs. Don’t bring out the guy who is
homer prone and not a normal reliever. Roberts obviously compounded this bad
decision by what he did later in the game, but by then Kershaw’s fate was
already sealed.
It is unavoidable to say Kershaw is worse in the playoffs. But you
know what, so was Greg Maddux who in his 11 years in Atlanta had a 2.63 regular
season ERA and a 3.47 in the playoffs with a career 11-14 playoff record w/ a
1.242 WHIP. Roger Clemens? He was worse in the playoffs, with his career 3.12
ERA going up to 3.77. Justin Verlander has mixed some awful postseason
performances along with his great ones, and if we go back to that self-same
2017 World Series, Verlander lost in Game 6 with a chance to clinch it, but was
bailed out in Game 7. Yes, there are guys like Bumgarner and Schilling that
pitched better, but they are rare.
To take it back to football, Peyton Manning got worse in the
playoffs. But so does Tom Brady – his stats across the board are worse per-game
in the playoffs than in the regular season. He has a great team. He had some
incredible moments. Kershaw has a great team also, but either there have been
better ones (2017 Astros, 2018 Red Sox, 2013 Cardinals, 2016 Cubs) or his
teammates choked as well.
I wrote a post a couple years back after Alex Ovechkin finally won
a Stanley Cup of the players I just want to win a title. Having lived through
this Peyton Manning life, at this point I am purely in the camp of wanting all
these guys to win a title at some point. I don’t know when, and hopefully not
at the expense of Houston, but the all time greats deserve it. No one deserves
to get the slander a Dan Marino or a Karl Malone received. Not being able to
win a title doesn’t tarnish one’s legacy. This ridiculous unless you win the
title you’re a loser mindset that is so pervasive is hurting sports.
I hope Clayton Kershaw wins a title, but even if he doesn’t, I
hope at some point people can grow past this if you’re not first, you’re last,
mindset and appreciate just how great he was. His run from 2011-2017 will
probably take a while to match. Scherzer even at his most dominant probably isn’t
close, neither Verlander or Cole or anyone else. We appreciated it sure, giving
him three Cy Youngs and an MVP award, but sadly some won’t appreciate it nearly
as much as they should.
If you actually look at it, on its face it is stupid for me to
feel bad for Clayton Kershaw. Here’s a guy who has made ludicrous amounts of
money, has achieved incredible levels of success at his craft. He has a
beautiful wife who was his highschool sweetheart and has two adorable kids. He
has a great life. No one deserves perfection. But still, when you see him the
way he was yesterday, despondent, alone, you still feel so bad.
