October baseball is upon us with the first round of games pitting the best teams in the league against their Wild Card opponents. There are typically questions about how a team will perform heading into the postseason versus what they accomplished in the regular season. This shortened 60-game season due to COVID-19 is no different.
Despite the Los Angeles Dodgers leading all of baseball with 43 wins and 17 losses, they are not immune to the curiosity and speculation based on previous years’ performances. It is well known that certain players have a reputation for “choking” and others for bats that go cold. And even if the most loyal fan would not dare utter it aloud, they have at least thought it at some point.
Some may concede that the difference in performance is the byproduct of a full 162-game season. Bottom line: players get tired. Fans can only hope that with the abbreviated season, the team will be able to rise above prior years’ follies.
Still fresh in the minds of many is the bittersweet feeling of the Dodgers clinching the 2019 National League West championship with a season record of 106 wins and 56 losses – also a franchise record. The last time the team had done this was in 1953 when they were still in Brooklyn.
Regrettably, the Dodgers were eliminated in Game-5 of the first round of the National League Championship Series against the Washington Nationals, the Wild Card entrant with a regular-season record of 93 wins and 69 losses that would go on to win the 2019 World Series.
When fans think of the Dodgers postseason legacy, there is definitely ‘an elephant in the room.’ The player that probably comes to mind first is future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers ace has earned a reputation for not performing like most would hope or expect once October rolls around. Is it due to exhaustion? Still healing from injuries? Or is it buckling under postseason pressure? Loyal fans might even counter, in light of recent events surrounding the 2017 World Series cheating scandal, that things could have turned around for him, had events played out differently. Unfortunately, we will never know.
Kershaw is feeling much healthier this year, and his stats reflect that. The former All-Star and 2014 National League MVP wrapped up the 2020 regular season with a 2.16 ERA and a 6-2 win/loss record after 10 appearances. He performed consistently better than he has the last few years when he was battling injuries.
During Wednesday’s pre-Game-1 Wild Card Series Zoom media conference, the 32-year-old Dallas, TX native and Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2006 out of Highland Park High School in University Park, TX, was asked what advice he would go back and give himself about pitching in the postseason.
“Try and trust what you’ve done to be there,” Clayton mused. “Try to remember that the process and the routine that’s gotten you here is good enough to get people out in the regular season and the postseason.”
There has also been talk of the starting pitcher’s preference for Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes over rookie catcher Will Smith. Barnes is often referred to as Kershaw’s “personal catcher,” much to the chagrin of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. But you can’t argue numbers; when Barnes is behind the plate, Kershaw has a noticeably lower ERA.
The current battery pairing has even been compared to Kershaw’s strong preference for recently retired former Dodgers catcher AJ Ellis. When asked about this, Clayton had nothing but high praise for all of the Dodgers catchers, past and present.
“I think Barnsey’s been awesome. I think his skill level speaks for itself behind the plate,” Kershaw remarked. “Honestly, Will’s been great too. I love throwing to Will, as well. We’re in a great spot, myself personally, as far as our catching group.”
There is something to be said for a connection with your catcher that just feels comfortable. Good-natured as always, Kershaw closed by saying: “AJ and Barnsey are somewhat similar, but I can make fun of Barnsey a lot easier, so that’s fun.”
Kershaw is set to start Game-2 in the Wild Card matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. No matter where you fall on the Clayton Kershaw postseason spectrum, most people can generally agree that he and the rest of the Boys in Blue have worked hard over the years and deserve a postseason win. Actually, all of Los Angeles does; fans have been waiting for thirty-two years!
In the wise words of our beloved Ace:
“Now that we have made it to this point, it’s time to go. We want to win.”
Let’s go, Dodgers!