– Clayton Kershaw recorded the final two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series with a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night in the fifth and deciding game of the National League Division Series.
Two days after starting Game 4 in Los Angeles, Kershaw made his first relief appearance since 2009. Entering with two runners on and one out, he retired Daniel Murphy on a popup to second base and struck out pinch hitter Wilmer Difo as Los Angeles celebrated in the middle of the field.
The Dodgers won the last two games of the series will begin the NLCS on Saturday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.
Carlos Ruiz had the go-ahead single in a four-run seventh off Marc Rzepczynski (0-1) and Justin Turner added a two-run triple to give Los Angeles a 4-1 lead.
Kershaw came on after Kenley Jansen entered the game with no outs in the seventh after Washington’s Chris Heisey hit a two-run pinch-hit home run off Grant Dayton.
Bryce Harper singled to left with one out as pinch-runner Joe Ross, a pitcher who started Game 4, went from first to third. But Jansen fanned Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon to end the inning with the bases loaded.
Jansen retired the side in the eighth but issued consecutive one-out walks to Harper and Werth in the ninth as Kershaw warmed up.
Joc Pederson, who had two hits, led off the seventh with a solo homer to left off Washington starter Max Scherzer to tie the game at 1-1. That ended the night for Scherzer, who gave up the one run on five hits with seven strikeouts in six-plus innings while throwing 98 pitches.
Yasmani Grandal walked and Howie Kendrick had a pinch-hit single later in the inning. Ruiz then had a pinch-hit RBI single off lefty Sammy Solis that glanced off the glove of Rendon’s glove into left field as pinch-runner Austin Barnes scored the go-ahead run to make it 2-1.
With two outs Turner crushed his two-run triple off Shawn Kelley to center to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. Kelley left the game with an apparent injury after throwing a pitch to the next batter, Adrian Gonzalez. Oliver Perez come on to retire Gonzalez and end the eight-batter inning.
The Nationals had threatened in the sixth as Werth led off with a walk. With two outs Ryan Zimmerman hit a double down the left field line but Werth was thrown out easily at the plate on a relay from left fielder Howie Kendrick to shortstop Corey Seager to catcher Grandal.
The winning pitcher was rookie Julio Urias, who pitched two scoreless innings.
Washington took a 1-0 lead in the second as Danny Espinosa, batting .091 in the series, hit an RBI single to right. His hit scored Murphy, who didn’t slide but avoided a tag by Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal before he stepped emphatically on the plate.
Scherzer fanned three batters in the fourth. He gave up a walk on the 13th pitch of a two-out battle with Justin Turner and then fanned Adrian Gonzalez for the third out.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the fifth on three singles, but Scherzer struck out pinch hitter Andre Ethier for the second out and got Chase Utley to ground to shortstop to end the inning.
Utley led off the game by lining out to center fielder Trea Turner, who made a diving catch in left-center.
Then Turner led off the last of the first and hit a comebacker that struck pitcher Rich Hill’s glove and deflected off his left (pitching) wrist before the veteran threw out Turner at first. Hill made a few warmup pitches and stayed in the game.
Hill wound up lasting just 2 2/3 innings, giving up one run and three hits with six strikeouts. He was replaced by Joe Blanton, who retired Anthony Rendon on a liner to center with runners on second and third to end the third. Blanton was replaced by Urias.
Urias allowed a walk with two outs in the fifth to Harper, who was then picked off for the third out.
NOTES: Washington manager Dusty Baker said before the game “it would be a miracle” for RHP Stephen Strasburg to pitch in the NL Championship Series if the Nationals advanced. Strasburg has been out since Sept. 7 with a flexor mass strain in his right elbow. … Former Washington RHP Livan Hernandez threw out the first pitch to 1B Ryan Zimmerman, his former teammate. Hernandez pitched for the Nationals in 2005-06 and 2009-11. … Also on hand was on hand University of Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson, a long-time friend of fellow California native Baker.