Clayton Kershaw Pushes Dodgers Within a Win of Second Straight World Series

Game 5 of the NLCS began with a bang: Milwaukee yanked starter Wade Miley after just one batter. On purpose. Their crafty bit of strategy ultimately didn’t pay off, as their bats never got going and their bullpen didn’t hold. Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw threw a gem, and Los Angeles nabbed a win to put them within one victory of the World Series. Here are three thoughts on the Dodgers’ 5-2 win.

This season’s evolution in pitching strategy has led to the creation of a whole new language to describe the first man who throws in a game: starter versus opener versus initial out-getter. What Milwaukee pulled in Game 5 didn’t exactly fit any of those descriptions. It certainly wasn’t a conventional…