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NL DIVISION SERIES: DODGERS v BRAVES


October 3, 2013


Clayton Kershaw


ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Game One

Dodgers – 6
Braves – 1


Q.  Could you sum up your night tonight?  What was working for you?  Did you have to struggle to find your secondary pitches at times out there?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  It was more fastball command than anything.  I struggled with that in the middle innings, was kind of all over the place.  A.J. did a good job, started calling more breaking balls there towards the middle innings, able to get some swings and misses when I needed it and kind of worked out that way.  Yeah, my fastball command wasn't great all night long, and you obviously don't want to walk three guys, especially when you've got that big lead.  But it worked out thankfully.

Q.  It may be a little early for perspective, but where does this game rank in your baseball pitching career?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  It's up there.  It's probably‑‑ it might be the best just because it's my first postseason win.  I haven't ever won a game.  We got to win in one other game that I pitched that I started in, but this one definitely has special meaning to me for sure.

Q.  Just talk about the play Carl made in left field.  I think it was off McCann with a couple runners on.
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  Yeah, I didn't realize he hit it that good.  He got a good piece of that.  Yeah, Carl did a great job finding the wall.  Yeah, he made a great play.  That was obviously huge.  He just kept going back and back, and thankfully it didn't get out of the yard, but he made a good play on that, and that was huge for me.

Q.  Early in the game a lot of defensive plays but then eight of your last nine outs were strikeouts.  What did that feel like the last three innings there?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  Yeah, strikeouts just kind of happen.  It's not something I'm trying to do, I'm just trying to get outs as fast as possible.  Yeah, I don't know.  I think what I talked about earlier with A.J. calling some more off speed pitches, sliders were getting some swings and misses tonight, which was good.  I give credit to A.J. on that.  He recognized quickly that my fastball wasn't where it needed to be and adjusted the game plan accordingly, and it worked out.

Q.  Your pitch count was 77 after four and 91 after five.  Were you concerned then that you were going to get past six?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  You know, postseason, so pitch count you kind of throw out the door in my opinion.  This is what you get taken out early from the season for, to be ready for games like this.  I was planning to get through at least seven or eight the whole night.  Obviously I wasn't very efficient early.  Really the whole game I wasn't very efficient.  But I wasn't ever thinking I was coming out, that's for sure.

Q.  How do you prepare for a game of this magnitude?  Did you do anything different today, try not to think about it?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  Try to prepare the same as possible really.  It's been working all year.  A.J. and I have a good game plan, and Honey, too.  So you try not to change too much.
Obviously the adrenaline and stuff, the magnitude of the game kind of takes over once the game starts, but as far as preparation and everything, not a lot changed.

Q.  Tomorrow the starting pitcher is Greinke.  Do you think it's possible to shut down this series?
CLAYTON KERSHAW:  We'll worry about tomorrow right now.  Greinke is going to give us a good chance, and we feel pretty confident with him on the mound.  Mike Minor has been throwing the ball well for them, too.  It's going to be a good game for us.  And we'll talk about Game 3 after tomorrow, but for now we like our chances with Greinke going right now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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