Kershaw ties postseason record as HR woes continue

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw appeared to be his best self through three innings in Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. That's when Astros third baseman Alex Bregman pounced on the southpaw.

It was the seventh home run Kershaw has allowed this postseason, tying the MLB record for a pitcher in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Only five other pitchers have allowed seven long balls in a single postseason stretch.

It's also been the primary bump in the road for Kershaw. All of the runs he's allowed over his four October starts have come via the home run. Fortunately for him and the Dodgers, all but one have been solo shots.

Kershaw has not historically been prone to home runs, though the 23 he allowed in the 2017 regular season marked a career high. He's continued this trend through the playoffs. It's especially jarring compared to his 2016 season, when he allowed only eight home runs over 149 innings. He allowed seven through his first 21 innings this postseason.

As for Bregman, he's been raising his profile against elite lefties. His only other two home runs during the postseason came against Boston Red Sox southpaw Chris Sale.