LOS ANGELES — When Los Angeles last saw Clayton Kershaw, he was slowly dragging himself off the pitching mound on a sullen Friday night in October.
It was only the second inning. His shoulders were slumped. His left elbow was screaming. His season was done. His Dodgers career was seemingly finished.
Observers convinced of this finality ominously noted that, instead of executing the traditional handoff to manager Dave Roberts, Kershaw kept the baseball for himself.
