LOS ANGELES - Clayton Kershaw was not the first star athlete to deal with such criticism, and he will not be the last.
As dominant as the lefty has been for the Dodgers in establishing himself as one of the top pitchers in baseball -- winning three Cy Young awards and likely headed for a fifth straight year finishing no lower than third in that category - Kershaw's postseason performances mostly have fallen short of the lofty bar he has set for himself during the regular season.
Entering his Game 1 start Friday against the Mets in the NL division series, Kershaw is just 1-5 with a 5.