Clayton Kershaw has never started at Fenway Park, so the Los Angeles Dodgers ace is doing all he can to familiarize himself with the historic ballpark before Game 1 of the World Series.
The Dodgers arrived in Boston on Sunday ahead of their Fall Classic showdown with the Red Sox, and the only sightseeing Kershaw did was checking out the visitor’s bullpen at Fenway.
Cameras caught Kershaw getting some work in on the bullpen mound ahead of Tuesday’s Game 1, where he’s expected to get the start opposite Boston ace Chris Sale.
You don’t become one of the best in a generation by accident.
Not only will Tuesday mark Kershaw’s first start in Boston, it also will mark the first time in his career he’s even faced the Red Sox.
The Red Sox should get used to seeing Kershaw on the mound, too. The three-time Cy Young Award winner appeared in three of the Dodgers’ seven National League Championship Series games, and he also made three appearances in last year’s World Series. The Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros, and Kershaw had mixed results. He won Game 1 with a seven-inning, 11-strikeout gem, but he was pounded for six runs in 4 2/3 innings in Game 5, a game the Dodgers ultimately lost 13-12. He also pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen in Game 7, tossing four scoreless in a losing effort.
