Dodgers president 'never bought' Kershaw postseason narrative

The Los Angeles Dodgers are undefeated when Clayton Kershaw has pitched in a postseason game this October, and winless when he hasn't.

So despite manager Dave Roberts fielding questions over how much he's using the left-hander, or the fact that he's started, closed, and pitched three times in six days, Kershaw is still the go-to guy for the Dodgers.

"I just never bought the narrative," Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said. "There’s no one else I’d rather have on the mound than Clayton Kershaw."

Kershaw held the Chicago Cubs to two singles, both in the fifth inning, to tie the NLCS 1-1 with a 1-0 victory in Game 2 on Sunday.

He ended the day going seven innings, striking out six while walking one. He also registered one of his team's three knocks, and failed to allow a Chicago runner to reach third base.

Roberts didn't mince words about just how effective Kershaw has been for his team.

“He’s the best pitcher on the planet,” Roberts told reporters. “I’ll take him any day.”

After two years of being historically good in the regular season, and notoriously bad in the playoffs, Kershaw is silencing his doubters. Over 19 1/3 innings of work spread out over three starts and one relief appearance, he's given up eight runs, struck out 25, and walked four.

He won't pitch in Game 3 on Tuesday. But Kershaw has proven to be a persuasive figure on the mound during the postseason and has silenced his critics.

“I know he’s tired of hearing it,” Roberts said. “It’s unfair. For us, we don’t care. What this guy's done is dig deep. I can't say enough about Clayton Kershaw.”