Vintage Clayton Kershaw shines in dominant win over Giants

LOS ANGELES – On Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw showcased their dominance as the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 11-5, taking control of the National League West Division in front of 51,548 fans.

It was Kershaw Day at Dodger Stadium, and he entered the game 17 strikeouts away from achieving 3,000 for his career.

Ohtani couldn't wait to get the Dodgers on the scoreboard as he belted a leadoff home run—his 24th of the season—off right-hander Landen Roupp. He wasn't finished there; he hit another homer in the sixth inning, which marked his third multi-home run game of the season and the 22nd of his career. His second home run also marked the 250th of Ohtani's career.

Ohtani hadn't hit a home run in his last 10 games before hitting two on Saturday night.

“It did feel like I hadn’t hit a homer in a while,” Ohtani said. “I think the first one was more significant, just being able to score early in the game.”

Ohtani had an impressive game, going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs, and three runs scored. He is the only player in MLB history to hit more than 25 home runs, steal over 10 bases, and hit five triples before July. This marks the second time he has achieved this feat, with the first occurrence happening in 2023 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

In the second inning, the Dodgers scored five runs against Roupp, who left the game after pitching 1 ⅔ innings. He allowed four hits, six earned runs, and issued five walks.

Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy both walked to lead off the second inning, setting the stage for Andy Pages, who hit an RBI single. Michael Conforto followed with an RBI double to right field, increasing the score to 3-0. Conforto has now hit safely in six of his last eight games. Mookie Betts came to bat with the bases loaded after Shohei Ohtani was walked and hit a double to left field, driving in Pages and Conforto. Betts now has eight doubles, 35 runs batted in, and nine home runs this season.

Will Smith contributed the fifth run of the second inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring Ohtani. The Dodgers took control of the game, leading 7-0 after three innings, which allowed Kershaw to comfortably manage the Giants' lineup. In the sixth inning, Hernandez hit a massive two-run home run into the Dodgers' bullpen, marking his 13th home run of the season.

After the Giants fell behind 10-0 in the eighth inning, manager Bob Melvin decided to preserve his bullpen for the rubber match on Sunday and chose to bring in catcher Logan Porter to pitch. Miguel Rojas, who had entered the game for defensive purposes, hit a slider clocked at 35 mph over the left field wall. This marked Rojas' second home run of the season.

Kershaw, 37, delivered an exceptional performance in his sixth game of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing only three hits and one walk. With this win, Kershaw's record improves to 2-0, and he has a 3.25 ERA. He struck out five batters on the night, bringing him within 12 strikeouts of reaching 3,000. Only three left-handed pitchers in Major League history—Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, and CC Sabathia—have achieved this milestone.

In his 18th season with the Dodgers, Kershaw aims to secure his legacy as one of the greatest players to wear blue. It was the Dodgers’ offense that was building the momentum that gave Kershaw the confidence on the mound. Kershaw won his 214th game of his career.

“Our offense is so good,” Kershaw said.

A night like Saturday certainly provided Kersahw a great amount of confidence as he progresses and attempts to maintain a spot in the rotation.

“Overall, it was efficient to get through seven,” Kershaw said.

Kershaw understands the significance as he approaches the 3,000 mark.

“It’s obviously a very cool thing,” Kersahw said. “Who knows how long 12 could take me at this point, it might be till August.”

As Kershaw walked off the mound in the seventh inning, he received a standing ovation. It was a proud moment for him, as he has spent his entire career with the Dodgers and pitched one of his best games in recent years.

"It was special. I honestly didn't know if I was done or not, so I didn't want to come out of the moment too much. I love pitching here, I don't take it for granted,” Kershaw said. “Who knows how many more I've got left here, so I'm just going to enjoy it. It's special anytime somebody cheers for you like that. It's pretty special."

Kershaw remained critical of his performance, even after pitching a shutout. He noted there were a few pitches he would like to have back. Although his slider was as effective as his curveball, he allowed one hit off the slider, which was not located where he intended.

“Maybe it’s my personality. You never feel great about it,” Kershaw said. “I think there are always things you want to have back, but the results, ultimately, at the end of the day, to win the game, that’s the most important thing.”

After Kershaw left the game, right-hander Michael Kopech entered for his third appearance of the season. He pitched one inning and struck out two batters while throwing just 15 pitches. In the ninth inning, fan favorite Kike Hernandez came in to pitch and recorded his first career strikeout against Christian Koss with an 86 mph fastball. 

It was all fun and games until Hernandez loaded the bases. With two outs in the ninth inning, Casey Schmitt hit a 56 mph pitch into the left field pavilion for a grand slam, scoring the first runs of the game.

The rubber match will be televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, featuring right-hander Dustin May (3-4, 4.46 ERA) for the Dodgers and left-hander Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.56 ERA) for the Giants on Father's Day.