Dodgers Recap: On Kersh’s night, Bats Deliver a Win Over Giants

CHAVEZ RAVINE — Okay, let’s get this out of the way quickly. In his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw did not deliver anything close to a “vintage” performance. He would be the first to tell you that. But it hardly mattered. This was less a baseball game and more a celebration. And on that score, everyone passed with flying colors. After exiting the game in the top of the fifth trailing by one, Kersh watched from the dugout as fellow superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts hit back-to-back homers to give the Dodgers a lead that they would never relinquish. Would an “official” win have made it even better? Yes, I suppose, but ask the 53,000 in attendance if they feel cheated. It was a perfect night, and a perfect result, and the end to a near-perfect career for Number 22.

Kershaw’s final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium began with a jolt, as Heliot Ramos apparently didn’t get the memo that this was supposed to be a going-away party. He ripped an 0-2 pitch deep to center for a leadoff homer. Kershaw answered by striking out Willy Adames and, after a walk to Rafael Devers and a fielder’s choice complicated by a third-base error from Kike Hernandez and brief injury delay to Dalton Rushing, he punched out Wilmer Flores and induced a lineout to Teoscar Hernandez to escape the first. The traffic continued in the second (walks to Jerar Encarnación and Drew Gilbert), but Kershaw coolly climbed out again with a called strike three on Patrick Bailey and consecutive popups to Miguel Rojas.

The third brought San Francisco’s second—and final—dent: after Kershaw fanned Devers, Matt Chapman doubled and Flores lined an RBI single to center. With two aboard following a walk to Casey Schmitt, Kershaw got exactly what he needed—an inning-ending 6-4-3 turned by Mookie Betts, Rojas, and Freddie Freeman. He stranded another single in a cleanly managed fourth (flyout, flyout, strikeout of Adames), then opened the fifth by freezing Devers before yielding to Edgardo Henriquez. Line: 4.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 6 strikeouts—an outing that started with a slap in the face, featured plenty of traffic, but showcased the familiar Kershaw grit in his Dodger Stadium goodbye.

After Kershaw got a friendly call from home plate umpire Lance Barksdale to strike out Devers, Dave Roberts made one last walk to the mound to take the ball from 22. The Dodger Stadium faithful, erupted in cheers, Ellen burst into tears from her “perch” in the Loge, and Clayton left that Chavez Ravine mound one last time. Henriquez made short work of the Giants in the 5th, and the game went into the bottom of the frame with Kershaw potentially on the wrong end of a 1-2 score.

Other than a homer from Miguel Rojas (who seems to enjoy helping Clayton out on big nights), the Dodgers were having a rough time breaking through against lefty Robby Ray in the first four innings. But that all changed in the decisive bottom of the fifth.

It started off quietly enough. A Miguel Rojas popout. Then, Andy Pages singled and Kike Hernandez walked to put a little traffic on the paths. However, when Dalton Rushing struck out for the second out of the inning, it looked like Ray might escape unscathed. But they didn’t count on Shohei Ohtani. On a 2-2 count, Ohtani reached out and went oppo taco on a four-seamer on the outer portion of the plate. It landed amongst the paying customers next to the home bullpen and just like that, the Dodgers were on top.

Mookie Betts followed it up on the very next pitch with a homer of his own, a solo shot to center. These guys were not about to let the hated Giants hang an L on Kershaw in his last home start. The Dodgers were able to tack on one more in the sixth on an Andy Pages RBI double to get their final run total to six.

In relief of the GOAT, Henriquez was solid, Justin Wrobleski gave up a run, but had a good night, Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless eighth, and Tanner Scott was a little wobbly, but got the save in the final frame.

Add to that, the fact that the Padres and D-Backs both lost, thus putting your Dodgers in the proverbial “catbird’s seat” as Red Barber used to say. They have clinched a spot in the postseason, and the magic number for a division title is now just four.

Perfect night? I’d say.

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