Every Clayton Kershaw postseason meltdown

It goes without saying that Clayton Kershaw is one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB’s regular-season history. However, his game takes a massive downfall as soon as September ends and he has to take the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason.

Kershaw has a reputation for being a down-to-earth, humble, easy-going kind of guy. That, plus his talent and dominance in the regular season, have made him a fan favorite throughout his 13-year career.

However, he’s also been the target of countless memes and mockery once the playoffs start, as he turns into a completely different pitcherand just can’t seem to get the job done vs. the very same batters he faced multiple times earlier in the year.

To put it into context, Clayton Kershaw owns a 175-76 W-L record with a 2.43 ERA, 15 shutouts, an ERA+ of 158, a WHIP of 1.003, and a FIP of 2.75. He strikes out 9.7 batters and allows 6.8 hits, 2.3 BBs, and 0.7 homers per 9 innings.

Those numbers are quite different in the postseason where he owns an 11-12 record with a 4.31 ERA, aWHIP of 1.088, with an average of 7.4 hits, and 1.4 home runs per 9 innings, with an ERA of6.28 when facing elimination, which is the second-worst in MLB history.

Then again, it seems like his struggles go way beyond numbers, as his losses have constantly doomed the Dodgers on games they should be able to win. Now, in the following paragraphs, we’ll walk you through every single one of his playoff meltdowns.

Timeline of Every Clayton Kershaw Postseason Meltdown

– 2009 NLCS vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Game 1:

Kershw’s infamous struggles in the playoffs started in 2009 when the Dodgers were up 1-0 in the fifth inning before Kershaw gave up 5 runs. The Dodgers, obviously, dropped Game 1. Then, it all went downhill.

-2009 NLCS vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Game 5:

If losing in Game 1 wasn’t bad enough, Kershaw came off the bullpen down 6-3 in an elimination game. He gave up a 2-run homer and the Dodgers’ season came to an end sooner than expected.

– 2013 NLCS vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Game 6:

Don Mattingly gave Kershaw the nod for another elimination game 4 years later, this time vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. The southpaw allowed 4 in the third inning and 3 more in the bottom of the fifth. St. Louis won 9-0 and the Dodgers went back home.

– 2014 NLDS vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Game 1:

Kershaw’s struggles were at full display in Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS. The Dodgers were up 6-2 entering the seventh inning after allowing just a couple of solo homers. Then, he was torched for 5 runs. The Cardinals scored 8 in that inning and took home a 10-9 win.

– 2014 NLDS vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Game 4:

The lefty pitcher had a shot at revenge in Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS but as you may know by now, it didn’t end well for him either. The Dodgers were on the verge of elimination but were hanging on toa 2-0 lead until Kershaw allowed a 3-run dinger that gave the Cardinals the deciding 3-2 lead.

– 2016 NLCS vs. Chicago Cubs, Game 6:

Kershaw got the nod in Game 2 of the NLCS and led the team to a 1-0 win. However, he couldn’t replicate that success when his team faced another elimination game. Clayton allowed 3 runs in two innings and ended up giving the Cubs a 5-run lead after five frames, while Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman combined to shutout the Dodgers.

-2017 World Series vs. Houston Astros, Game 5:

Once again, Kershaw looked dominating in Game 1 but couldn’t do it again when it mattered most. The Dodgers led by four runs before Kershaw allowed a combined 7 runs in the fourth and fifth inning, and Houston went on to take the game in extra innings. To be fair to Clayton, it was later revealed that the Astros cheated and stole signs in that title run.

– 2018 NLCS vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Game 1:

Kershaw looked just fine in the first couple of innings before allowing the Milwaukee Brewers to score 4 runs in the next two. The Dodgers ended up beating the Brewers in seven games but not thanks to good-old Kersh.

– 2018 World Series vs. Boston Red Sox, Game 1:

Kershaw just couldn’t bounce back from that poor outing in the NLCS and was even worst in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series, allowing 5 runs over four frames to sink his team in a hole they were never able to climb back from.

– 2018 World Series vs. Boston Red Sox, Game 5:

Dave Roberts trusted Clayton Kershaw again in an elimination game in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series but it went as bad as expected. He gave up three home runs and four runs and the Dodgers ended up losing 5-1.

– 2019 NLDS vs. Washington Nationals, Game 2:

The Dodgers were heavily favored when Kershaw started Game 2 vs the Nationals but “surprisingly”, he allowed 3 runs over the first two innings and the Nationals tied the series at 1 with a 4-2 win.

– 2019 NLDS vs. Washington Nationals, Game 5:

The Dodgers were up 3-0 in Game 5 of the NLDS vs. the Nationals with Walker Buehler going for 6.2 innings. Dave Roberts called up Kershaw from the bullpen and the rest, as you know, it’s history. He gave up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning to tie the game. Then, the Nationals torched Joe Kelly in extra innings and upset the Dodgers in five games.

– 2020NLCS vs. Atlanta Braves, Game 4:

The Atlanta Braves had a 2-1 lead in the 2020 NLCS when Dave Roberts put the ball on Clayton Kershaw’s hands. He was almost flawless through the first five innings with both teams tied at one run. Then, he allowed four earned runs and the Braves scored 6 to put them against the wall. Eventually, however, the Dodgers would take 3 straight to make it back to the World Series.

Kershaw is one of the best to ever do it and he deserves plenty of respect. However, these poor performances will always stain his otherwise flawless résumé. Hopefully, one day he’ll get it together and win that much-deserved ring.