Clayton Kershaw Had Shohei Ohtani's Number

Saw this clip from the Dan Patrick show:

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2025 World Series Game 3 Post-Game Thread: They Stop Serving Beers At The Seventh Inning

DODGERS 6, BLUE JAYS 5 (18)

They stop serving beers in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium, in order to make sure that a stadium surrounded by expansive parking lots filled with a sea of cars won't have a slew of inebriated drivers behind the wheels of their vehicles.

In last night's game, however, Dodger Stadium probably could have kept serving beers for a couple more innings. We didn't go home until after Freddie Freeman won the game in the bottom of the 18th inning, in what is now tied for the longest game in World Series history.

That said, I was at Game 3 last night, and I indulged in a full-throttled, 25-ounce beer following Freddie Freeman's amazing walk-off home run. It was glorious, about as much so as a semi-cold Michelob Ultra beer could be.

And this is its own story.

------

Ms. Sax and I got to the game at 4p, about an hour before first pitch, which was a controversy in itself. I would have gotten there at 2p when the gates opened; however, she thought that was nuts. She was probably right; traffic was bad, but not horrible, getting into the Stadium; and we were comfortably in our seats by 4.20p. And it was worth it to have not aggravated Ms. Sax further on this one; this was her first World Series game, and although I was familiar with the majesty of the first World Series home game pre-game show and wanted to see all of it, I didn't want her to be angry going into this one.

(Little did we know that we would be at the Stadium for eight hours!)

Along the way, we stopped at the Home Plate Bar where we splurged on overpriced cocktails: a spicy habanero mule that came smothered in tajin that got all over the place (what a mess!), as well as a spicy margarita. Both were pretty tasty though a little light on the Svedka Vodka. (We now own these two collectible plastic receptacles that I'm sure will sit unused in the back of our bar for a decade or so.)

Cocktails in hand, the pre-game ceremonies were awesome (as always). The fireworks during the starting lineup introduction. The unveiling of the huge flag on the outfield grass. The perfectly-timed flyover, even with the inclusion of the Canadian National Anthem as part of the pre-game routine.

I was happy. Ms. Sax was happy. Let the games begin.

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I got my first beer after the second inning, following the Dodgers having taken the one-run lead on Teoscar Hernandez' solo home run. When Shohei Ohtani added his own solo shot in the third, we were rocking, despite Freeman getting thrown out by a mile to end that frame.

There was an idiot in our section wearing a George Springer Toronto Blue Jays jersey, and we were riding him (and his namesake player) all game long. Boos, yells of "cheater!", and consistent mocking probably got to both of the people in the Stadium with this unfortunate sartorial choice--Springer was 0-for-3 with 2 Ks before removing himself from the game, mid-AB, in the seventh inning--but this guy was soaking up the vitriol pretty well. And then, following Alejandro Kirk's home run, the fan turned around to our section and held his finger to his mouth, telling us to be quiet. Andres Gimenez added a fourth run, and the Dodgers were suddenly down 4-2. This started the feeling of tension that would not abate for another five hours or so.

We got two runs back in the fifth inning, off a Shohei Ohtani RBI double and a Freeman RBI single, to tie the game. The Blue Jays took the lead again in the seventh inning on a Bo Bichette single to right that Teoscar Hernandez lollygagged (yet again), allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to score all the way from first. Tension, again.

And then Ohtani came back and powered "a center-cut fastball" (as Joe Davis put it), depositing it in the Left Field Pavilion to tie the game at five:

It should be noted that Ms. Sax has not been the biggest fan of Ohtani, mostly because he hasn't done much at the games that we happen to attend together. Tonight flipped that script. That second home run, Ms. Sax lost her mind--I think it was the first pitch of the AB--and Ms. Sax could not believe it. Ohtani reached base nine times last night, with four extra base hits (for only the second time even in a World Series game)? I think she's an Ohtani fan now.

And then, the tension began, for the next 11 innings.

So, about that beer....

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Like any smart Dodger fan, I went back up to the concourse after the top of the seventh, knowing that they would be cutting off alcohol sales soon. After hitting the restroom (and washing my hands, thank you!), I grabbed my second Michelob Ultra can of the night.

When I got back down to our seats, Ms. Sax did not look happy.

"Did you see my text?"

I gulped. "No."

I looked at my phone. She had asked me if I could please not get another beer--a fair ask given I was driving in what I thought would be the next hour (ha!); she knows I love beer; and yeah, it's probably good overall to be drinking less of this wonderful nectar in general, given the obvious health factors.

However, it was too late. I had the beer in hand. So I said I was sorry, and I put the beer in the cupholder in front of me. And there it sat.

Now, Ms. Sax had quickly forgotten about this beer, thanks to the well-timed Ohtani home run. But she was right there with me with the tension and all the missed opportunities that played out in the innings ahead of us.

Roki Sasaki having to come in in the eighth, in a jam, to bail out Jack Dreyer's two-on, one-out situation. Tommy Edman, in one of his many defensive highlights this game (despite an error as well), nailing Isiah Kiner-Falefa at third to preserve a scoreless ninth. Ohtani IBBd in the ninth, only to be caught stealing in front of Mookie Betts (who continued his postseason malaise with a 1-for-8 showing last night, squandering multiple game-winning opportunities).

Davis Schneider thrown out at home in the tenth with a perfect throw by Edman and tag by Will Smith. Clayton Kershaw coming in with the bases loaded to relieve Emmet Sheehan (an admirable 2.2 IP with 2 Ks), to get a clutch ground out (Edman!) in the top of the 11th inning. (This was an especially gut-wrenching moment, as I was pretty certain the baseball gods were going to be cruel to Kershaw once again in the postseason, and yet we amazingly survived.)

And the Dodgers had so many chances that just didn't work out. Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, even Freeman himself all hit deep fly balls that died on the warning track due to the thick marine layer that you could feel like a soup, even from the stands. Said Max Muncy in The Athletic:

But as Game 3 went on, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy noticed dew on the grass and moisture on top of the dugout railing. After eight seasons with the Dodgers, Muncy knew what that meant. A marine layer had descended on Dodger Stadium, and good luck trying to hit the ball out.

“Nighttime here is really hard to hit,” Muncy said. “I’ve seen it so many times. Balls just die in the night.”

Freeman thought he possibly hit a homer in the 13th, but his 103.9-mph shot fell short of the 395-foot wall in center. He hit another ball to center 104.4 mph at a lower launch angle in the 15th, and got the same outcome.

Other Dodgers experienced similar frustration. Smith dropped his bat as if he hit a homer in the 14th, but his 101.5-mph drive got knocked down. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thought Teoscar Hernández’s 101.4-mph blow had a chance in the 16th, but no, that one didn’t go out either.

Leading off the 18th, Freeman got another chance. And when Little left a 3-2 sinker in the heart of the plate, he connected again to center. This time, he hit the ball 107.4 mph at a 34-degree launch angle, the right combination to finally unlock a homer.

Did Freeman think it was gone?

“I was not sure,” he told me in his postgame interview on Fox. “Just because of the other couple. My swings were getting better and better as the game was going on. I’m just glad I was able to get the opportunity again.”

Throughout all these moments, I was just staring at that beer, convinced that if I took one sip, it was going to cost the Dodgers the game. Every time we escaped the top of the inning scoreless--the Dodgers relievers pitched 13.1 scoreless innings following Tyler Glasnow's start--I knew that it was the right choice to abstain. And every time we failed to capitalize on an opportunity to win the game, I stared at that can of Michelob Ultra and wondered how much my jitters would have settled with a swig.

"You ever see the sun rise at Dodger Stadium?", I asked Ms. Sax.

She did not find that very funny. She kept imploring the Dodgers to win it, screaming "I want to go home!". But I did ask (politely, albeit a bit disingenuously) if she wanted to leave early, and there was no way she was going to leave early.

"I'm too invested at this stage," she said. "Let's win this."

Will Klein, the last Dodger pitcher available, entered the game in the top of the 15th inning. This is a guy who wasn't even on any of the other postseason rosters for the Dodgers this year. But we had no other options.

And Will Klein was the man last night.

With every inning that of the four he pitched (72 pitches total, which was twice what he had ever thrown in any major league appearance of his life), more and more of the Dodgers' relief corps were up on the top step of the bullpen, cheering him on and giving him strength. Klein gave up a two-out single to Guerrero in the 15th, then had clean 16th and 17th innings (including a sweet comebacker off of Davis Schneider to end the 17th). And then in the 18th inning, Klein got out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out backup catcher Tyler Heineman, to preserve the scoreless frame.

The beer taunted me, throughout Klein's labors.

I resisted.

And then, finally, came the Freeman home run, in the bottom of the 18th inning. Freeman was the first batter of this inning. And I have to say, when he hit it, it looked like it had a shot to win the game--but so had so many of the other fly balls that game, so who knows? Only when Daulton Varsho started climbing the wall in center did I realize that this one was going to clear the fence by enough.

The Dodgers WIN.

The place went nuts. Freeman, in extras, in the World Series, again. The only man to have multiple walkoff home runs in the World Series, ever.

I hugged Ms. Sax. We slapped hands with everyone around us. We watched Freddie stomp on home plate and the team explode. Pandemonium ensued.

And then I grabbed that can of semi-cold Michelob Ultra and drank all 25 ounces in one bacchanalian quaff.

What an amazing ending.

What an amazing game.

What an amazing beer. (And who ever said that about Michelob Ultra?!)

2025 NLDS Post-Game 4 Thread: Roki To The Rescue

DODGERS 2, PHILLIES 1 (11)
DODGERS WIN NLDS, 3-1

In a tense affair that only took 3:30 to complete but felt like an eternity, the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies on an improbable error, with Orion Kerkering panicking after a botched comebacker, ultimately throwing the ball to the wrong base and wide of catcher J.T. Realmuto, allowing Dodgers pinchrunner Hyeseong Kim to score the game-winning run.

I was at the game and would not have believed this ending despite seeing it with my own eyes.

I guess you can now spell "Phillies" with three Ls.

The truth is, either team could have easily won this series. The Dodgers stole Game 1 in Philadelphia, and then barely survived Game 2, to put Los Angeles in a pretty comfortable position. But after squandering Game 3, it seemed like this Game 4, which rested on a razor's edge, could have gone either way.

Had the Dodgers lost NLDS Game 4, I have to think we would not have been favored to win the series in a winner-take-all Game 5, given the hostility of Citizens Bank Park, not to mention our recent performance where we just squeaked to victories by our fingernails.

But key Dodgers stepped up here in Game 4 to deliver us the win, and we have to give them their rightful commendations:

• Tyler Glasnow was nails. Yes, Glasnow's reputation of fragility, coupled with the fact that he only started 18 games for us this year, made me skeptical that we'd see him finish even three innings. But Glasnow's line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB and 8 Ks--outdid Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez's numbers (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 5 Ks).

  I wasn't sure why we took Glasnow out after only 83 pitches and six innings, because he was dealing, but I've since read that he was cramping. But his performance kept us in the game, for sure.

• Emmet Sheehan held up. Sure, he made an error that cost us a run. But the kid has now pitched in three 2025 postseason games and is getting a little bit sharper each time. He had a strikeout in Game 1 (2.0 IP) and a strikeout in G4 (1.0 IP), and thought his ERA is still 10.80 this postseason, he's a viable middle-inning bridge, which we need. Keep up the progress, Emmet!

• Roki Sasaki, of course, was the breakout story of the day. Holy shit, Batman. Given all the hype of his signing, then the clear discomfort and shaky performances early on this year, and then missing most of the year with a shoulder injury--there was absolutely no way one would think Sasaki would become the postseason closer beast that has emerged late in 2025. Since returning from injury on September 24, Sasaki pitched in only two regular-season games (one inning each; 0 ER and 4 Ks). And then, despite ratcheting up the pressure in each 2025 postseason appearance, Sasaki has shined.

  But Game 4's performance, asking the rookie to go three innings of work and watching him face nine batters and sit all nine down--one would have never expected this. Sasaki just hit another level, in a role that he wasn't even expected to play. I can't think of a comparable example. It's amazing.

• Clayton Kershaw wore it in Game 3, so that we could have everyone ready for Game 4. Watching Kershaw struggle on Wednesday was just gut-wrenching awful. But if he doesn't pitch those two innings, we use up some of the few options we have in that corroded bullpen (even more corroded now that Tanner Scott is out through the NLCS, not that we'd really feel comfortable using Scott these days, anyway). Hopefully, us advancing to the NLCS will give Kershaw a chance to whittle down his truly unfair 2025 postseason 18.00 ERA (not to mention, his career 4.63 postseason ERA).

• The bottom of our lineup broke through. Tommy Edman, who was roping some balls earlier in the game, finally broke through with a single to left in the 11th, for his first hit of the game. Then Max Muncy clutched up and singled to center, advancing pinch-runner Kim to third, and knocking out Phillies Game-5-starter-turned-reliever Jesus Luzardo. Then Kiké Hernandez--now batting .318 with a .809 OPS this postseason, both marks ahead of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman!--worked the count to earn a walk and load the bases.

  And that set up the dramatics for Andy Pages--batting a microscopic .042 with a .122 OPS this postseason--to hit the comebacker that quickly unfolded into an error, with Kim crossing the plate and the Dodgers winning the game. But all four of those players were our 6-7-8-9 in the lineup on Thursday; the heroics were all theirs.

• Dave Roberts, again, made all the right calls and beat Phillies manager Rob Thomson in the chess match. Roberts gets a lot of flack, and I know I defend him more than most. But honestly, with Thomson going to closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning (Duran ended up blowing ths save by walking Mookie Betts with the bases loaded, which was amazing); then throwing his Game 5 starter in the tenth inning, in a do-or-die move--Thomson was trying everything to give his team the win.

  But Roberts' bullpen choices, even going back to how he (ab)used Kershaw in Game 4 (see above), proved to be key. Pushing Sasaki for three frames in Game 3 was ballsy, and it worked out (and so did using Alex Vesia in the 11th, and Vesia might be gaining some girth on his trust tree branch of late). It seems like Doc has gotten a lot better over time about reading the moment and trusting his players in key situations; it may not always work out, but it seems to be successful more often than not. Now, why we are sticking with starting Pages is another issue.

And look, I hated to see it end on Orion Kerkering's shoulders like that. He just freaked out, with 50,000 fans screaming and a bobbled ball that shifted things from routine to chaos in an instant. Yeah, maybe he should have thrown to first base to get Pages. And the play at the plate might have been close. But you don't like to see a walk-off error. I feel for the guy.

But hey, let's watch that play again anyway :)

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Needless to say, it wasn't his fault that the Phillies are going home. Look at their big three: Trea Turner, 0-for-5 on Thursday with 2 Ks, finishing with a .235 average and .551 OPS (Turner did make a sweet defensive play in Game 4 on a grounder). Kyle Schwarber, who erupted for two home runs in Game 3, was a sad 1-for-5 in Game 4, also with 2 Ks, finishing the postseason with a .188 average (and .903 OPS). Bryce Harper, who has not fared well in Dodger Stadium in his career, went 0-for-4 and finished with a .200 average and .600 OPS.

So in NLDS Game 4, combined, Philly's big three went 1-for-14 with 4 Ks.

Now look, our big three didn't do much better: 2-for-13 with 5 Ks across Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman (Roberts wedged Teoscar Hernandez in there for Game 4, batting third but he was worse: 1-for-5 with 3 Ks on his own). Ohtani and Freeman look pretty bad right now, which some speculate is because Philadelphia's lefties are so strong. You know who else has strong lefty pitching? The Cubs (who play a winner-take-all game in Milwaukee Saturday). Gulp.

But I'll think about our adjustments that we'll need to make for the NLCS later. For now, I'm going to revel in the fact that the Dodgers are moving on, having vanquished the team that many believe would be our biggest obstacle this 2025 postseason.

After sitting through 11 innings of totally clenched ball last night, I'm still pretty nervous.

Post-Game 162 Thread: Kershaw Gets Final Win; Reds Take Back Door Into Playoffs

DODGERS 6, MARINERS 1

Clayton Kershaw's final regular season game line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks. Amazing.

Shohei Ohtani was also pretty damn good today, 3-for-5 with a HR and 2 runs scored.

Hyeseong Kim also had a two-run bomb to open up the scoring for the Dodgers, and Freddie Freeman added a two-run HR of his own, as the Dodgers rolled to the sweep, ending the season with five wins in a row.

So now, we play Cincinnati in the NL Wild Card, who lost to the Brewers 4-2, but backed into the playoffs when the Mets were blanked in Miami, 4-0.

Game 1 is Tuesday at 6p. I'm not sleeping on the Reds. Hoo boy!

Game 162 Thread: Sept 28 @ Mariners, 12.10p

It's this man's final regular season start.

Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 3.52) vs. Bryce Miller (4-5, 5.53).

This blog has been around since 2006, and for almost the entirety of this 20-year run, we've had one constant: Clayton Kershaw (who debuted with the Dodgers in 2008).

It will be very weird to think of the Dodgers without Clayton Kershaw on the roster.

So let's celebrate his last regular-season start today, and honor the class act that is Clayton Kershaw.

UPDATE 9.49a: Okay, I can't help myself. We have to keep half an eye on the out of town scoreboard today, to see who our opponent will be for the National League Wild Card series.

In Milwaukee, Cincinnati's Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95) goes up against Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.68), who has been talked about for the National League Cy Young Award. That's a heck of an opponent for the Reds, but if they win, they advance to the playoffs.

In Miami, the Mets' Sean Manaea (2-4, 5.80) squares off against Edward Cabrera (7-7, 3.66). If the Mets lose, the Reds advance to the playoffs. The only combination of outcomes that works for the Mets is a Mets victory AND a Reds loss.

All MLB games start at the same time today.

If there's another silver lining, it's that both the Reds and Mets will have to throw their best (remaining) arm and also play their full lineup, whereas the Dodgers can let Kershaw go a minimum number of innings (Tyler Glasnow only had three innings in his start yesterday), and also rest the batters (apparently, there's a Monday workout back in Los Angeles).

Post-Game 158 Thread: Vesia and Henriquez Try To Throw This Away, But New Bullpen Arms (and Tommy Edman) Earn The Win Anyway

This game was exhausting.

DODGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4 (11)

No one will remember Blake Snell's six innings of one-run ball tonight. And they may not even remember scoreless frames from two Dodger starters, Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw, to contribute to the cause.

But after Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez' ineptitude in the eighth inning to cede the 4-1 lead and let the Snakes tie the game; and after pinch runner Hyeseong Kim hesitates at second and is thrown out at the plate in the top of the 10th inning--the Dodgers had some unlikely solid performances from the bullpen: Blake Treinen, who came in with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 10th, and got the final out; and Justin Wrobleski, who pitched a scoreless 11th to earn the victory.

Also, Tommy Edman had a two-out, two-strike single to left-center which scored Freddie Freeman from third in the top of the 11th, scoring the game's winning run. Edman also had a solid play in the field to end the ninth inning for Kershaw.

No Tanner Scott tonight, so we actually won this game. Magic number is at 1.

And big credit to SportsNet LA's Jessica Mendoza for noticing Kim's hesitation at second immediately and calling it out. She did great on color commentary tonight and I love to hear her insight in the booth.

Game 154 Thread: September 19 vs. Giants, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (222-96, 2.54) vs. Robbie Ray.

Tonight is Joe Davis Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium. However, the publicity-hogging Clayton Kershaw decided to make his big retirement announcement yesterday, and with his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium this evening, Kershaw has now completely eclipsed Davis' moment in the spotlight.

Davis, who has been the Los Angeles Dodgers' main play-by-play announcer since 2017 (after joining the Dodgers broadcasting team in 2016), took over for Vin Scully. He calls about 90 games per season for the Dodgers, since he is constrained by his other jobs calling national baseball and football games.

It's kind of sad that Davis is getting totally overshadowed by a guy who only started 20 games and has only 102 innings this year (to be fair, the 102 innings rank third on the team, and the 20 games started ranks second). But I guess tonight's sellout crowd that surely came to show their love for Davis will have to spare a little bit of gratitude for Kershaw.

I mean, 11x All-Star, 2x World Series Champion, 2014 NL MVP, 3x Cy Young Award, no-hitter--Kershaw is still the most important and legendary pitcher for the Dodgers franchise, sure. I'll give Kid K that.

Game 148 Thread: Sept. 13 @ Giants, 6p

Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 3.27) vs. Logan Webb (14-9, 3.12).

How about we don't use Tanner Scott today?

Game 143 Thread: Sep 7 @ O's, 10.30a

Clayton Kershaw vs. Tomoyuki Sugano.

This season is a disaster.

Game 138 Thread: Sept 2 @ Pirates, 3.40p

Clayton Kershaw (9-2, 3.06) vs. Carmen Mlodzinski (3-7, 3.86).

The Dodgers now have a 2.5 game lead on the Padres in the NL West, but if they want to extend that lead (as well as try and make up ground against the red-hot Phillies for the #2 seed in the National League), they'd better start getting Bizet, starting with tonight's game in PNC Park.

Not to spoil Act IV, but if the Dodgers can slay Carmen, that would be a good start.

Game 133 Thread: August 26 vs. Reds, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (8-2, 3.13) vs. Nick Martinez (10-0, 4.59).

Andy Pages singlehandedly beat the Reds last night. Let's hope someone else can Nick the Reds' starting pitcher today, give Clayton Kershaw some runs with which to work, and extend our divisional lead on the Padres beyond one measly game.

Game 128 Thread: August 21 @ Rockies, 12n

Kershaw vs. Dollander.

The best we can hope for is a series split with the Rockies. But there's a good chance that we lose our one-game lead in the NL West and enter this weekend's series at Petco Park tied with a very hungry Padres team. I don't like the sound of this, not at all.

Game 122 Thread: Aug 15 vs. Padres, 7p

Clayton Kershaw vs. some Padre who will undoubtedly have the game of his life.

The Dodgers are now in second place, looking up at the Padres, thanks to a woeful run since the All-Star Break juxtaposed with a peaking San Diego team (8-2 over their last ten). With our loss Wednesday, yet another game in which we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and got season-swept by the lowly Angels, the Dodgers look completely hopeless in the bullpen and mostly impotent from the plate.

Reinforcements aren't coming in these last ~40 games. Either we step up, or we're done.

Game 116 Thread: Aug 8 vs. Blue Jays, 7p

Avert your eyes, or you'll be banished to L.A. Law!

Clayton Kershaw (217 wins, lifetime) vs. Max Scherzer (218 wins, lifetime).

It's a clash of MLB win titans today, with Clayton Kershaw and former Dodger Max Scherzer dueling it out on the mound. On the all-time leaderboard, Scherzer has the edge on IP (2919 to 2808) and strikeouts (3,451 / 11th place to 3,010 / 20th place), but Scherzer is also three years older than Kershaw.

The bigger issue here, though, is that the AL East-leading Blue Jays (68-48) are hot, while the NL West-leading Dodgers (66-49) are most decidedly not. As we dropped two of three to the mediocre Cardinals earlier this week, the Blue Jays were scoring 45 runs in their series against Colorado. I'm not hopeful.

Game 93 Thread: July 8 @ Brewers, 4.40p

Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 3.43) vs. Jacob Misiorowski (3-1, 3.20).

For the second time this year, the Dodgers have lost four in a row. I don't expect today's match to go much better, despite us starting 2025 All-Star Clayton Kershaw, as Jacob Misiorowski just out-dueled Pirates phenom Paul Skenes two starts ago.

Hoo boy. Let's hope for the best.

Clayton Kershaw and the 3,000 Strikeouts

How can you watch this and not get chills up your spine?

Congratulations, Clayton Kershaw!

Game 87 Thread: July 2 vs. White Sox, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 3.03) vs. Brandon Eisert (2-1, 4.33).

Los Angeles Dodgers treasure Clayton Kershaw takes the mound tonight, only three short of becoming the 20th player in major league history to record 3,000 strikeouts.

Go get 'em, Clayton!

Game 82 Thread: June 26 @ Rockies, 12p

Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 3.31) vs. Austin Gomber (0-1, 8.38).

Clayton Kershaw is only eight strikeouts away from 3,000 strikeouts. Let's get this done, Clayton!

2025 Dodgers WAR (Through June 23, 2025)

I just peeked at this and found it pretty surprising:

• Shohei Ohtani 3.6
• Will Smith 3.3
• Andy Pages 3.0
• Mookie Betts 2.7
• Max Muncy 2.3
• Freddie Freeman 1.9
• Teoscar Hernandez 1.6
• Tommy Edman 1.5
• Michael Conforto -1.1

For substitutes, Hyeseong Kim leads with a 1.1 WAR. Kiké Hernandez has a 0.6 (better than I expected!), and Miguel Rojas and Dalton Rushing each have 0.3.

Austin Barnes was -0.3 and Chris Taylor was -0.6.

From a pitching perspective, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 1.9 WAR, and Clayton Kershwaw has a 0.4 WAR. Roki Sasaki is 0.1, as is Tyler Glasnow. Blake Snell has a -0.2 WAR, worse than even Dustin May (-0.1) and Tony Gonsolin (-0.1). Landon Knack has a -0.3 WAR.

Within the relief corps: Ben Casparius has a 0.7 WAR, Alex Vesia is at 0.5, Jack Dreyer is at 0.4, and Anthony Banda is at 0.3. New pickups Tanner Scott is at 0.1 and Kirby Yates is at 0.0.

Game 77 Thread: June 20 vs. Nationals, 7p

I was pretty surprised by Ohtani's cool demeanor after getting hit in the ninth inning yesterday.

Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 3.25) vs. Mackenzie Gore (3-6, 2.89).

Both staring pitchers today have win-loss records that belie their talent: Kershaw, whose season started late due to injury; and Gore, whose ERA is a better reflection of his skill given the Nationals' woeful 31-44 record. I'm just hoping for a game where every batter isn't living in fear of getting plunked.