Adrian Gonzalez stopped a few feet from first base and turned toward the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout. He pumped his fist to celebrate breaking a deadlock at Citi Field. Standing on the dugout steps, manager Dave Roberts saluted him. A two-run single by Gonzalez in the ninth inning of a 4-2 victory delivered a series victory over the New York Mets and saved Roberts from wearing the weight of a defeat.
In the eighth inning of the 51st game of the season, Roberts left the dugout for the first time in his managerial career to visit Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The two men did not have a conversation.
Kershaw fumed into his glove as Roberts informed the umpires about his call to the bullpen. Kershaw clutched the baseball in his left hand, aware that his ownership of the evening would soon end. He looked away from Roberts as he handed over control. The Dodgers (27-24) would soon pay for his departure.
With two outs and left-handed hitter Curtis Granderson batting, Roberts took the baseball away from Kershaw, the sport’s finest pitcher. He did not hand it to closer Kenley Jansen, who was warmed up in the bullpen. Roberts chose Adam Liberatore.
Liberatore promptly surrendered a game-tying triple. The hit diminished the line on Kershaw, who went 7 2/3 innings, struck out 10 and walked none. But the Dodgers were able to once again score against Mets closer Jeurys Familia, who blew a four-run lead on Friday. With the bases loaded, Gonzalez stroked a 99-mph fastball into center field to reclaim the lead.
The Mets were one of three teams Kershaw shut out earlier in the month. On May 12 at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw limited his guests to three hits while striking out 13.
Granderson placed immediate pressure on Kershaw. The Mets outfielder doubled off the wall on a 2-0 fastball to lead off the first. Granderson advanced to third on a groundball. Unwilling to concede a run on contact, Kershaw fanned outfielder Yoenis Cespedes with a slider in the dirt and struck out second baseman Neil Walker with a fastball at the chest.
Kershaw struck out two more in the second in a 10-pitch inning. He did not allow another hit until second baseman Neil Walker hit a two-out double in the fourth. Kershaw stranded Walker by freezing outfielder Juan Lagares with a 94-mph fastball on the outer half.
In the third, the Dodgers handed Kershaw a run. The sequence caused, yet again this weekend, a flashback to last October. Utley roped a one-out single. Corey Seager did the same, which moved Utley to third base. Justin Turner hit a grounder that the Mets converted into an out at second base. Seager slid near Walker to break up the double play as Utley scored.
Mets manager Terry Collins challenged the call, invoking the rule created after Utley broke Ruben Tejada’s leg in the National League Division Series. Seager did shift his body slightly toward Walker, but there was minimal contact. The review crew upheld the call.
The Dodgers experienced a scare in the fifth. Kershaw broke his bat on an 86-mph sinker from Mets starter Bartolo Colon. On his follow-through, Kershaw raked himself in the neck with the barrel. The jolt jarred him and he did not run out of the box.
A member of the training staff and Utley checked on Kershaw as he walked back to the dugout.
Kershaw assured them he was OK and reoriented himself as his team extended the advantage with a string of two-out hits. After singles by Seager and Turner, Gonzalez smacked an RBI single into right.
Kershaw showed no ill effects in the fifth, picking up three more outs in swift order. He had retired six batters in a row when shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera came to the plate with two outs in the sixth.
After a pair of strikes, Kershaw tried to put Cabrera away with a curveball. Cabrera hit a lofty fly into left field. Howie Kendrick retreated to the wall. The baseball appeared destined to clang against the railing above the wall. But a fan touched the ball before it landed.
Cabrera rounded the bases. Roberts spoke with the umpires. A review ensued, but the call was not overturned. Even if a fan interfered, there was no way for Kendrick to reach the ball.