Kershaw dazzles with 7 shutout innings as Dodgers tie NLCS
He flirted with a no-hitter, then danced through trouble, and nearly gave it all away.
When he left the Wrigley Field mound after seven shutout innings, though, Clayton Kershaw knew he'd just finished the best start of his postseason career. The 28-year-old ace left the Chicago Cubs searching for answers on this night, as he didn't allow a run for the first time in 13 career playoff starts. He was pulled after seven scoreless innings, and Kenley Jansen picked him up with a six-out save to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 win and square the NLCS at 1-1.
Kershaw shut down the Cubs on just 84 pitches while pitching on two days rest after recording his first career save in Game 5 of the NLDS. He was perfect through 4 2/3 innings, and ultimately allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out six. After talking his way into facing one last batter, the red-hot Javier Baez gave him a scare with a fly out to the deepest part of center field that nearly got Wrigley Field rocking; instead, it quietly settled into Joc Pederson's glove for a loud out.
"Off the bat I thought something bad for sure," a relieved Kershaw told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports when asked if he thought Baez had hit a homer. "I kind of had a mini-stroke right there. I thought it was at least off the wall, at least a double.
"Thankfully, Joc was standing right there."
when you think it's a home run but it's not a home run pic.twitter.com/hLRFzvwR90
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) October 17, 2016
Kershaw is only the fourth pitcher in Wrigley Field history - and the first visitor - to throw a playoff shutout in the park's 102-year history, according to CSN Chicago's Christopher Kamka.
| Date/Gm. | Pitcher | Team | Opp. | IP | K | Pitches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/6/1935 (WS G5) | Lon Warneke | Cubs | Tigers | 6.0 | 2 | N/A |
| 10/2/1984 (NLCS G1) | Rick Sutcliffe | Cubs | Padres | 7.0 | 8 | 107 |
| 10/7/2016 (NLDS G1) | Jon Lester | Cubs | Giants | 8.0 | 5 | 86 |
| 10/16/2016 (NLCS G2) | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | Cubs | 7.0 | 6 | 84 |
Kershaw's the first pitcher to record a 1-0 shutout win over the Cubs in the playoffs since Boston Red Sox left-hander Babe Ruth, who spun his gem in Game 1 of the 1918 World Series. That game was played in Chicago, but not at Wrigley Field, as the Cubs chose to move their home games in that World Series to the larger Comiskey Park.
Los Angeles' lone run, which ultimately stood up as the winning run, came in the second inning courtesy of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who homered to left-center field off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks.
Game 3 of the NLCS goes at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday at 8:08 p.m. ET.