The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a postseason berth for the sixth consecutive season by beating the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon, also setting themselves up to potentially win a National League West on Sunday.
The win did not come easy though as the Giants were able to get to Kershaw, which doesn’t happen very often. Kershaw was staked an early 2-0 lead and he later drove in two runs of his own with a single to put the Dodgers back out in front, 5-2.
But Kershaw was not able to hang onto either lead. The southpaw turned in one of his worst outings of the season, allowing eight hits and five runs in five innings, striking out four.
After the game though, he complimented his teammates for picking him up and earning a victory in such a big game, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“It’s never good when I’m a better hitter than I am a pitcher. That’s what it was today,” Kershaw said. “For these guys to pick me up like they did today — I think we had 18 hits today — it’s just really special to be a part of. You know, this game in particular just kind of showed the kind of team that we have.”
With the score still tied in the eighth inning, the Dodgers rallied for five straight runs to take control of the game and ultimately clinch a postseason berth.
If the Dodgers want to make another World Series run, they will need Kershaw to get back to his usual self. His next start will likely be Game 1 of a potential NL Division Series if the Dodgers make it that far.
