Kershaw’s grit defined in one World Series inning
by Cary Osborne
Clayton Kershaw has thrown 25,209 strikes — regular season and postseason combined — in his Major League career.
The one he threw to end the fourth inning in Game 5 of the World Series isn’t included in that number, and yet it was one of the most important strikes of his career. It was a moment that helped lead the Dodgers to a 4–2 victory on Sunday against the Tampa Rays.
Kershaw, with Rays Hunter Renfroe on first base and Manuel Margot on third base and two outs with the Dodgers leading 3–2, went into his classic Kershaw pose — hands up, glove craned. Margot broke for home trying to steal.
Max Muncy shouted from first base, telling his pitcher that Margot was running home. Kershaw stepped off the rubber and threw a strike to catcher Austin Barnes, who cradled the ball with both hands and tagged Margot out.
“I don’t know if it really happened fast or slow, but I heard Muncy say step off, and I stepped off and threw it home,” Kershaw said. “Glad we got him out there.”
It was truly a team effort.
Kershaw had the wherewithal, in a moment that had the potential to crack him, to step off the rubber. A balk would have given Tampa Bay a free run. He had the calm to give a near-perfect throw to Barnes.
Barnes also gets the credit for getting in position to make a tag, handling the ball, and holding it with both hands to make the tag.
His care with the ball was like not dropping the ring during a daring proposal.
Barnes’ right hand, an extension of the glove, brushed Margot’s left arm sliding in.
Muncy also gets credit for seeing Margot’s plan immediately and taking action.
“I was fortunate enough to see one or two guys in the past maybe break hard (on Kershaw) — not necessarily try to steal, but they broke hard. So I knew what to expect,” Muncy said. “As soon as I saw (Margot) break, I sprinted straight towards Kersh and said, ‘Home! Home! Home!”
Kershaw knew with his delivery and runners on first and third that he was susceptible to the runner on third making a break. He remembered five years ago — Aug. 23, 2015 — when Houston’s Carlos Gomez tried the same thing.
It didn’t work then. It didn’t work on Sunday for Margot.
It was an inning that Kershaw was sweating through — literally.
Between pitches, perspiration surrounded the bridge of his nose and dripped off the tip of it.
He walked Margot to start the inning. The Rays left fielder then stole second base and took third when Chris Taylor couldn’t glove Barnes’ throw at second base.
Then Kershaw, who was ahead 0–2 on Renfroe, walked the Rays right fielder.
Runners on the corners, no outs.
“You kind of almost assume that the runner on third is going to get in somehow, so you just try and get the next three guys out as best you can,” Kershaw said.
If a run scored it would have been a 3–3 game.
But Kershaw got Joey Wendle to pop out to shortstop Corey Seager in shallow center field for the first out.
Kershaw struck out Willy Adames on three pitches, getting him to swing and miss on a curveball off the plate.
Kevin Kiermaier fouled the first pitch Kershaw threw to him. He didn’t see a second pitch in the inning.
Margot instead took his chance and was erased.
Kershaw retired the next five batters he faced. After getting Lowe to pop out for the second out of the sixth inning, the Dodger ace was pulled in favor of Dustin May, who went on to get the Dodgers out of the inning.
Kershaw wasn’t sharp on Sunday. He said his slider and curveball, in particular, weren’t right.
He allowed the first batter to reach in each of the first four innings. The swing-and-miss he was so good at inducing in Game 1 of this series wasn’t the same.
But he battled through 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and left with the Dodgers up 4–2.
If this is the last time he is on the mound in this World Series, he left with an inning that displayed his grit, his skill, his smarts and his want.
And he also left the mound a winner.
