Clayton Kershaw just did something only Babe Ruth had ever done
Clayton Kershaw’s performance in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series was unquestionably impressive — seven shutout innings and just two hits, stifling the Cubs bats enough so that his team could escape Chicago with a 1-0 win.
Not only was it impressive, but it was historic in a way you probably never would have expected. Only one other pitcher in baseball history had beat the Cubs 1-0 in the postseason. That would be the great Babe Ruth. Kershaw and The Babe, how’s that for an unlikely pair?
Here’s the factoid, via Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago:
Pitchers to start 1-0 #postseason wins vs #Cubs
Babe Ruth (9 ip), Game 1, 1918 World Series
Clayton Kershaw (7 ip), Game 2, 2016 NLCS— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 17, 2016
Babe Ruth was pitching for the Boston Red Sox then, a 23-year-old who was just turning into the slugger we know him as today. He wasn’t the dominating pitcher of his era like Kershaw is today, but nonetheless, a 1-0 shutout in the World Series is quite impressive.
In that game, the Boston’s only run scored on Stuffy McInnis’ RBI single off Hippo Vaughn. Yes, these are real baseball-player names from 1918. And they’re fantastic.
Clayton Kershaw, he’s fantastic too.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
