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Clayton Kershaw struck out four Astros in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, and in doing so set a Dodgers record for most strikeouts in a single postseason.
Most Dodgers strikeouts, single postseason
| Pitcher | Year | IP | K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Year | IP | K |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2017 | 33 | 33 |
| Orel Hershiser | 1988 | 42⅔ | 32 |
| Sandy Koufax | 1965 | 24 | 29 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2016 | 24⅓ | 29 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2013 | 23 | 28 |
| Fernando Valenzuela | 1981 | 40⅔ | 26 |
| Tim Belcher | 1988 | 24 | 26 |
| Don Sutton | 1974 | 30 | 25 |
He entered the game in relief to start the third innings, after Yu Darvish recorded only five outs for the second time in as many starts in this World Series. The Dodgers were trailing 5-0 when Kershaw entered, and he gave them four scoreless innings in relief.
Kershaw is 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA in his six postseason appearances in 2017, with 33 strikeouts in 33 innings. Kershaw broke the previous club record of 32 strikeouts, by Orel Hershiser in 1988.
Kershaw threw 94 pitches in his Game 5 start, and pitched Wednesday on two days rest, throwing 43 pitches.
“When you’re talking about Clayton Kershaw, Game 7, I think anything’s within reason,” Roberts said. “With Clayton, it’s hard to put a number on him.”
“Preparation’s out the door at this point. Routine is out the door. There’s no excuses,” Kershaw said on Tuesday. “You just have to go get guys out as fast as you can and pitch as long as they want you to.”