ARLINGTON, Texas — The body-crushing workouts between starts, the scowls that followed even victories because perfection had not been achieved, the 89 mph fastball, the hangdog look of another October game that got away … all of it belong to another version of Clayton Kershaw, not the one who took the mound in World Series Game 1 Tuesday night. Without compromising any of his famed competitive streak, there is a lightness about Kershaw these days. And he and the Dodgers are much better for it.
He is 32 years old, with more postseason starts, 29, than any pitcher who never won the World Series.