LOS ANGELES — On his 104th pitch in the seventh inning Friday night, Clayton Kershaw began his delivery, raising his hands above his head and sailing a pitch high to walk Ruben Tejada. Kershaw took off his cap and threw back his head to get the wet hair out of his face. The Mets had been making him work hard, and he looked tired.
Kershaw then walked Curtis Granderson to load the bases with two outs. The Dodgers had seen enough. Manager Don Mattingly removed Kershaw, the ace with three Cy Young Awards, and replaced him with Pedro Baez, with David Wright coming to the plate.