Clayton Kershaw has arguably been the best regular-season pitcher in baseball for most of his career, but on Thursday he proved he's capable of pitching just as well in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw stymied the Chicago Cubs over six stellar innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run.
Kershaw's lone flaw on the evening came courtesy of a Kris Bryant home run in the fourth inning.
The 29-year-old Kershaw, who posted the National League's lowest ERA (2.31) for the fifth time in his career during the regular season, hasn't found the same success in the postseason. In his second start of the NLCS, he certainly looked like the Dodgers ace that baseball has become familar with.
Kershaw's postseason before Game 5
| G | GS | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 16 | 100.1 | 4.57 | 1.16 | 117 |
Kershaw threw 67 percent of his 89 pitches for strikes, fanning five Cubs and walking just one while the Dodgers' offense provided him with nine runs of support.
After the Dodgers defeated the Cubs to advance to the World Series, manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw would start Game 1.