One batter.
That’s all that Los Angeles Dodgers legendary lefty Clayton Kershaw got to face.
And in the highest-profile of moments, Game 3 of the World Series with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 12th inning, Kershaw delivered.
The count got to 3-2. A ball would’ve walked in the go-ahead run.
But instead Kershaw got a jam shot and the third out.
When Kershaw got to the dugout, manager Dave Roberts embraced him, and Kershaw started chatting with his teammates.
Nathan Lukes was the only hitter he’d face.
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Why didn’t the Dodgers let Clayton Kershaw keep pitching?
The Dodgers brought Kershaw in for the high-stakes lefty-lefty matchup.
They didn’t leave him in past that, though.
The top of the 13th would start with powerful righty Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Kershaw also had thrown a ton of pitches while waiting in the bullpen, so it’s not clear how much length he had left. He didn’t pitch at all in the NLCS, and only threw two innings in the NLDS.
There may just not have been a lot of length in the arm.
The Dodgers turned to Edgardo Henriquez for the 13th inning, and on they played.
