It’s Kershaw’s major flaw. Say what you will about his second-half resurgence and about how this low-Velo Kersh has resurrected his career thanks to pure guile and nasty cutters and curves. No matter how you slice it, Kershaw’s home run problem hurts.
The three solo shots that led to a 5–1 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday night stung. Aaron Judge’s third of the series stung. They all stung. For starters, that’s how opposing fans feel after each and every one of the Dodgers’ National League-leading 227 home runs. Hitting homers is fun, but watching them fly while on the field along with a chorus of fretful murmurs feels exactly how you’d imagine.