Let us take a moment to appreciate the greatness of Clayton Kershaw.
This year, Kershaw has faced scrutiny from the media and fans alike over what people have called a lackluster season for him. If the average person's worst season as a pitcher featured a 2.73 ERA over 160 innings, even while missing six weeks due to injury, half the world would be lined up at Dodger Stadium right now for a tryout.
Kershaw has the ability to opt out of the last two years of his contract at the end of this season, which puts his future with the Dodgers up in the air. With the possibility that the series, and this season, are the last for Kershaw with his only team so far, it is time to reflect upon his time as one of "dem bums."
In 11 seasons in Los Angeles, Kershaw has won 153 regular season games, three National League Cy Young Awards, the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player Award, and the 2017 National League Championship. Because of the decreasing interest in win totals, and the short but fantastic career of fellow Dodgers southpaw Sandy Koufax, Kershaw would possibly be a first ballot Hall of Famer if he retired right now. He has been the best pitcher in baseball for most, if not, all of his career. He has not had an ERA above 3 since his rookie year, and he has had an ERA under 2 in three different seasons. Not to mention, he has been an absolute workhorse. Kershaw has thrown 200 or more innings five times, and 175 or more innings seven times. He has thrown nearly 2,100 innings in his career, and has averaged 190 innings per season. Kershaw's career WHIP is exactly 1.00, and his strikeout to walk ratio is over 4 to 1, even with over 2,200 career strike outs.
Kershaw's career has been the driving force behind the Dodgers teams of the last decade. Before his rookie year in 2008, the Dodgers had missed the playoffs in nine of the previous 11 seasons. Since 2008, Los Angeles has made the playoffs eight times, all of which came by winning the National League West. They have gotten past the first round in six of those eight seasons, and finally got to the Fall Classic for the first time in nearly three decades last October. However, the postseason is the only thing about which Dodgers fans can complain when discussing Clayton Kershaw's career.
Kershaw's ERA in the postseason is 4.11, significantly higher than it is from April through September. He does have a winning record in the playoffs, but only at nine wins and eight losses. His 2014 postseason was particularly heartbreaking in Southern California, as he surrendered a game-winning, bases-clearing double to Matt Carpenter in Game 1 of the NLDS, and then a series-winning home run by Matt Adams in St. Louis just a few days later.
Last October was a bounce back for Kershaw, as he slightly lowered his ERA to 3.82 while posting a 3-0 record en route to the National League Pennant. In the World Series, he dominated Game 1 with seven innings of one-run ball to gain the victory, but faltered by allowing six runs in under five innings in a Game 5 that became a 13-12 shootout. However, even in the worst of times, Kershaw brought Dodgers fans hope for next season. Trailing 5-0 in Game 7, Kershaw threw four shutout innings in relief to hold Houston at bay. Even though the Dodgers lost the game and the series, Kershaw has sandwiched a bad start in Atlanta between 15 total innings of one-run ball against the Braves and Brewers. Although Kershaw will not start any games in Milwaukee, and I have picked the Brewers to win the series, Dave Roberts will us his ace, be it tonight, or more likely tomorrow night, when he has the ability to do so.