LOS ANGELES—Although Clayton Kershaw has accomplished just about everything it’s possible to do on a baseball mound during his 16-year career, he had never beaten the New York Yankees until Friday night.
The feat got a whole lot less daunting after the Los Angeles Dodgers staked him to a six-run lead in the first inning, and Kershaw sat on that cushion all the way to another milestone victory.
Kershaw racked up nine strikeouts over seven innings of four-hit ball, and Mookie Betts hit two more homers in the Dodgers’ resounding 8–4 win to open this high-profile inter-league series.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Los Angeles June 2, 2023. (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)
Betts hit his second straight leadoff homer and an RBI single during Los Angeles’ eight-hit first inning against Luis Severino, and Kershaw (7–4) didn’t falter despite allowing early homers by Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson, who both returned from lengthy injury absences….