The offense scored 11 times. Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs. And the team regained sole possession of first place in the division.
But on a night of all-around excellence from the Dodgers, no one impressed quite like the man who endures as the most familiar, and foundational, face of the franchise.
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Clayton Kershaw might only throw 90 mph (on a good fastball) now. He might lack the ever-imposing aura that emanated through the peak of his career.
But at 37 years old, and in his 18th MLB season, the future Hall of Fame left-hander can still consistently hit locations, mix his arsenal and pitch — in every meaning of the word — his way through a stellar big league outing.
It’s why he wanted to keep playing this season, even after a 2023 shoulder surgery and toe and knee procedures in the offseason. Why he still holds a place in the Dodgers’ starting rotation, one that has counted on him to compensate for a swath of injuries in the season’s opening two months. And why, when handed a big early lead Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, he knew exactly what to do, breezing through a scoreless seven-inning, three-hit, five-strikeout gem in the Dodgers’ 11-5 win at Dodger Stadium.
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“He worked ahead all night long and put the pressure on those guys and found a way to get through seven really efficiently,” manager Dave Roberts said. “[He] put us in a good spot tonight.”
Saturday was not exactly a daunting task for Kershaw.
He was facing a Giants lineup that ranks 25th in the majors in batting average. He had the luxury of a six-run lead by the top of the third inning, thanks to a leadoff home run from Ohtani in the first (his seventh leadoff blast of the season, and one that ended a season-long 10-game home run drought) and the lineup’s five-run ambush of Giants starter Landen Roupp in the second.
“Our offense is so good,” Kershaw said. “It’s really important to get some zeroes on the board early, and you can see what they do.”
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As a result, Kershaw’s assignment the rest of the night was simple: Get quick outs, keep his pitch count under control, and ensure a lopsided score stayed that way in a contest that put the Dodgers (42-29) one game ahead of the Giants (41-30) in the National League West standings.
“I think if they feel the momentum, they start swinging the bats,” Kershaw said. “So from there, when…