Clayton Kershaw will be considered one of the greatest regular season pitchers in MLB history when he retires after the current playoffs. But he’ll always have his poor postseason performances as a blemish on his career resume, which is something that continued during the Dodgers loss to the Phillies on Wednesday night.
Kershaw Ineffective In Dodgers Loss, Continues Career Playoff Woes
His regular-season résumé speaks for itself. With a career ERA of 2.54—better than the likes of Greg Maddux, Pedro Martínez, Cy Young, and Roger Clemens—he ranks among the most dominant pitchers in modern history. A three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, he also placed second twice and third once, while leading the league in ERA five separate seasons.
Kershaw’s postseason track record tells a different story. His career ERA of 4.49 is the highest among the top 25 pitchers in playoff innings pitched. Over his first five World Series starts, he recorded a combined 5.69 ERA — including a rough 7.36 mark in two outings against the Boston Red Sox during the 2018 Fall Classic.
Not even trolling. Kershaw’s postseason resume is one of the worst of any Hall of Famer in any professional sport. The difference between his regular season stats and what we’ve seen every October is crazy. 1st Team All No Show.
— Sean Jordan (@BaySean) October 9, 2025
Those woes continued In Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Having already announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season, Kershaw was made available out of the Dodgers bullpen for their run at a second straight World Series title. He came into Wednesday’s elimination game in the 7th inning with Los Angeles already losing 3-1, and added to his already-sizable career ERA in the playoffs.
In two innings pitched, Kershaw allowed six hits, including two home runs. He gave up five runs, four of them earned, and mercifully exited the game after being responsible for the Phillies extending their lead to 8-1. His ERA for the game was 18.00.
Instead of closing out the series, the Dodgers will host Game 4 on Thursday afternoon. If they lose again, then the deciding 5th game will be back in Philadelphia on Saturday. How much the Dodgers will trust Clayton Kershaw throughout the rest of the postseason remains to be seen.
