LOS ANGELES — You say “Clayton Kershaw” and you envision as dominant a left-handed starter as the baseball landscape has seen in recent seasons. You think of a horse, a strikeout-producing Dodgers machine who could shut down Murderers’ Row.
But you say “Clayton Kershaw in the playoffs” and you envision a guy that might not make the 1962 Mets’ rotation.
So Kershaw will battle the ghosts of playoffs past when he squares off against the Mets in Game 1 of the NLDS Friday. Kershaw, who struck out a world-best 301 and posted a 2.13 ERA in an MLB-high 232²/u2083 innings, said he is not driven by any redemption factor, even if his career postseason numbers are 1-5 with a 5.