Everyone said the same thing about Clayton Kershaw amid awful Game 1
Mar 4, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) looks on prior to a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw had his worst baseball fears come to life on Saturday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kershaw could only get one out in Game 1 of the NLDS against the D-Backs at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Kershaw allowed a whopping six runs to score in the first inning, headlined by a 3-run home run from Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno.
GABRIEL MORENO THREE-RUN SHOT AND IT'S 5-0 DIAMONDBACKS AND THEY STILL HAVE NOT RECORDED AN OUT pic.twitter.com/JWMct94mLp
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 8, 2023
Kershaw became the first pitcher in MLB postseason history to allow five hits and five runs before recording a single out.
The Dodgers veteran’s playoff meltdown led to a field day from fans posting on X. Kershaw was clowned for underperforming in the postseason once again, a familiar sight in his otherwise Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Kershaw every year in the playoffs
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 8, 2023
https://twitter.com/dodgersbetter/status/1710833101491064905
Not October baseball without kershaw getting smoked in a start
— kyle (@knicks_tape99) October 8, 2023
playoff Kershaw continues to live on pic.twitter.com/PcTxZQyZcD
— alex (@highlightheaven) October 8, 2023
Some fans did come to Kershaw’s defense. They pointed out that Kershaw is battling a shoulder injury.
Nightmare start for Clayton Kershaw. People are going to add this one to the pile of his bad postseason starts, but the reality is that physically he’s not the same guy he was. He’s throwing 89-90 mph FBs over the plate and hanging sliders. His body won’t do what his mind wants.
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) October 8, 2023
Who knew that starting a visibly injured Clayton Kershaw in game one of the NLDS was a bad idea?
I know there isn't much else, but yeesh.
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) October 8, 2023
The quick exit marked the first time Kershaw was unable to get past the first inning of a start in his career, postseason or otherwise.
Kershaw came into the contest with a career playoff ERA of 4.22 in 191 innings pitched. After giving up six runs with just one out on Saturday, his postseason ERA shot up all the way to 4.49 — nearly double his career regular season ERA of 2.48.
Prior to the Game 1 start, Kershaw spoke about one downside of pitching on Saturdays. The minor weekend inconvenience Kershaw anticipated turned into a Saturday to forget for the Dodgers pitcher.