Clayton Kershaw is celebrating his 32nd birthday on Thursday, and SportsNet LA is paying homage to the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace by broadcasting six of his vintage performances from three separate seasons.
Their re-airing of ‘Timeless Dodgers’ games begins at 6 a.m. PT, with a contest from May of 2011 against the New York Mets. Kershaw was opposed by R.A. Dickey and turned in a relatively modest performance by his standards.
Kershaw held the Mets to just one run and collected eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings. He scattered three hits and never faced much trouble despite also issuing three walks. Most importantly, Kershaw played the role of stopper for the Dodgers.
They snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win a Citi Field, and the victory was only their second (Kershaw was also on the mound for the first) in a nine-day span.
SportsNet LA’s schedule continues with a look back at another 2011 start — this time at Dodger Stadium against the Detroit Tigers. Kershaw again pitched the Dodgers to a win, striking out 11 in a complete-game shutout.
Midday brings a third 2011 outing into the spotlight, when Kershaw tossed 7.1 innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Kershaw reached 20 wins for the first time in his career and became the first Dodgers pitcher to reach the benchmark in 21 years.
The second half of SportsNet LA’s airings begins with Kershaw’s no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies from 2014. It was one of the most dominant starts in MLB history and a mere Hanley Ramirez error from a perfect game.
Three months later came a dominant start that saw Kershaw allow just one run and rack up 11 strikeouts over eight innings. His effort helped propel the Dodgers to the second of what became seven consecutive National League West titles, and seemingly sealed the MVP Award.
He added an RBI triple in the 9-1 rout for good measure.
SportsNet LA concludes their Kershaw tribute with another outing against the Giants, as he turned in a dominant road effort. Kershaw’s complete-game shutout with 13 strikeouts again clinched the NL West for the Dodgers.
SportsNet LA broadcast schedule
May 8, 2011: Dodgers at Mets (6 a.m. PT)
June 20, 2011: Dodgers vs. Tigers (9 a.m.)
Sept. 20, 2011: Dodgers vs. Giants (12 p.m.)
June 18, 2014: Dodgers vs. Rockies (3 p.m.)
Sept. 24, 2014: Dodgers vs. Giants (6:30 p.m.)
Sept. 29, 2015: Dodgers @ Giants (10 p.m.)
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