Ten under-the-radar moments that mattered: Kershaw’s other clutch inning

(Editor’s Note: This series looks at 10 plays you may not remember but shouldn’t be forgotten on the Dodgers’ October road to a World Series title.)

by Cary Osborne

World Series Game 5: First Inning

There were a lot of key moments in Game 5, and a lot of key moments in the series that had to do with the legendary Clayton Kershaw and the player who had a legendary postseason Randy Arozarena.

In the World Series, Arozarena hit three home runs and had a 1.234 OPS.

In the first inning of Game 5, Kershaw allowed a leadoff single to Yandy Díaz. He then battled with Arozarena. The Rays left fielder drove the eighth pitch of the at-bat into the corner in deep left field. It was foul by mere feet and was a heart-stopping moment at the time.

Kershaw, on the very next pitch, threw a fastball just below the strike zone. Arozarena hit it hard at Corey Seager, who turned a 6–4–3 double play. The Dodgers followed with a run in the top of the second inning to go up 3–0 in the game.

Why It Was So Big: Let’s remember what happened less than 24 hours earlier. The Dodgers lost 8–7 in an all-time heartbreaker. A series of defensive miscues led to Arozarena, after falling between third base and home, scoring the winning run.

In Game 5, the Dodgers had just gone up 2–0 in the top of the first inning in and grabbed needed momentum to get rid of the feeling from the night before. The Rays could have stolen momentum back with Arozarena. But Kershaw, whose most memorable inning was the fourth (when he caught Manuel Margot stealing home), was also clutch in the first inning.

Quotable: Blake Treinen earned the save in Game 5 with a scoreless ninth inning in the Dodgers’ 4–2 win. After the game, the veteran reliever was asked at what point did he know he would be called on for the save opportunity. Before answering that question, Treinen praised Kershaw:

“Kersh competing his tail off. I mean, I don’t think you can say enough. I think there’s a tough narrative on him. He’s a phenomenal pitcher on the biggest stage, and that team is extremely grindy and fights off a lot of pitches, and it can be frustrating. Kersh — I think a lot of credit goes to what he’s been able to do in this World Series for us.”

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