Worst Big Game Great Pitcher Ever?

I think we have to really consider those laurels now for Mr. Clayton Kershaw.

On its sports page—now officially known as "The Bizarre-o World Wormhole"—the Paper of Record ran some piece this postseason comparing Kershaw to the Dodgers' true Special K, Sandy Koufax.

Uh-huh.

The sample sizes are very different, of course.  As are the eras they played in.  Sandy certainly benefited from pitching in the greatest pitchers' era since 1920—and allegedly in a Dodgers Stadium where they kept the lights down low (he and all other Dodgers pitchers from the era DO have alarmingly lower ERAs at home).

But comparatively speaking, Koufax only got better—MUCH better—in the postseason.  While K2 got much, much worse.

Koufax in the regular season, lifetime:   165-87, 2.76, 1.106 WHIP.
Koufax in the World Series, lifetime:        4-3,   0.95, 0.825 WHIP.

Kershaw in the regular season, lifetime: 169-74, 2.44, 1.008 WHIP.
Kershaw in the postseason, lifetime:          9-11,  4.43, 1.105 WHIP.
Kershaw in the World Series, lifetime:      1-2,    5.44, 1.163 WHIP.

A big part of the problem, I suspect, is that Kershaw's managers have always believed that he can be used as a starter on regular OR short rest in the postseason, AND as a reliever—as if he were, say, another Allie Reynolds, or one of the other starters that Casey Stengel used almost at will in the Series.

What these guys have missed is that Stengel was a baseball genius, who quite deliberately made sure NOT to overwork his top starters during the regular season.  And with these extended postseasons, the strain must be all the greater today.

For instance, before last night Kershaw was actually quite effective as a postseason reliever, allowing just 1 earned run in 7 2/3 innings, with 1 save.  (Now it is 3 in 8, with a save and a blown save.)  But what kind of toll did this take on his arm?

Koufax WAS able to pitch on short rest in the 1965 Series, and he pitched brilliantly, shutting out the Twins in his third start of the Series.  And he was pushed to pitch on short rest down the stretch of the 1966 season.  But he was never considered to be an all-purpose, any-situation guy, the way that Dodgers manager apparently feel that Kershaw is—usually to their regret.