On the final Sunday of June, Clayton Kershaw walked off the mound in Pittsburgh. Across the country, the San Francisco Giants walked off too, with a ninth-inning victory that left the home team leading the National League West by eight games.
Kershaw has yet to return to the mound. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Giants’ running away with the division.
The NL West is essentially a dead heat, with six weeks to play. The Dodgers play nine of their final 38 games against the Giants, including a three-game series that opens Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.