The National League Championship Series is only three innings old and we have already seen history. Brandon Woodruff hit a home run against Clayton Kershaw to tie things at 1-1, which was impressive in its own right.
Clayton Kershaw allowed a home run to relief pitcher Brandon Woodruff in the NLCS
The first left-on-left pitcher home run in MLB postseason history
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The home run becomes more special when I remind you that:
- Woodruff is a pitcher, the 24th to hit a postseason home run
- Woodruff is a relief pitcher, one of only three relievers to hit a home run, joining Rosy Ryan from Game 3 of the 1924 World Series and Travis Wood in Game 2 of the 2016 NLDS.
- Kershaw throws with his left hand, and Woodruff, a right-handed pitcher, hits left-handed. This is the first left-on-left, pitcher home run in MLB postseason history.
It should also be noted that while Woodruff isn’t quite Michael Lorenzen, he was 2-for-8 with a home run during the season. As a pitcher, that makes him stand out.
This was the fourth home run Kershaw has ever allowed to a pitcher. Madison Bumgarner (twice) and Tyson Ross were the other two, and they hit right-handed, unlike Woodruff.
And it makes this NLCS special, right off the bat. Literally.
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