LOS ANGELES — Well, this was the plan, the whole point really. The Los Angeles Dodgers constructed their pitching staff for precisely this night, precisely this moment when Clayton Kershaw had been great enough for long enough and did not need to be great for any longer.
Eighty-three pitches, and he was out of the game. Eighty-three pitches, seven innings, 11 strikeouts, no walks and one run. Kershaw’s first World Series start Tuesday night was his masterpiece, the foundation of a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros and perhaps more than anything, a sign of how far the Dodgers have come.