Clayton Kershaw Strikes Out 12 in NLDS Opener in Atlanta

I watched baseball last night, and then hit the sack early.

The Dodgers cruised to an easy win over the Braves, surprisingly easy. I hope they do it again today.

At LAT, "Dodgers' ace trumps Braves in postseason opener, 6-1":

Feat of Clay: Kershaw guides @Dodgers to commanding Game 1 win in Atlanta. http://t.co/zQvWcfYEgo #NLDS pic.twitter.com/wHJUUoS1p5

— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2013

ATLANTA — If Clayton Kershaw continues to pitch the way he did Thursday night, the long-term contract to which the Dodgers intend to sign him this winter could cost them even more than they expect.

That's fine with minority owner Magic Johnson, who was at Turner Field to watch Kershaw overcome early control problems to lead the Dodgers to a 6-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their best-of-five National League division series.

"We already know we have to give him a lot of money," Johnson said. "What's a few more zeros?"

Backed by five runs in the first four innings, Kershaw earned his first career playoff victory by limiting the Braves to a run and three hits over seven innings.

His 12 strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers pitcher in a postseason game since Sandy Koufax struck out 15 New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series.

The most incredible aspect of the performance was that Kershaw couldn't throw the ball where he wanted.

"It was more fastball command than anything," Kershaw said.

He threw 19 pitches in the first inning, which included a 10-pitch at-bat by Justin Upton. He threw 77 pitches through four innings and 91 through five. He walked three batters.

"That was our game plan," Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Make him pitch a little bit. When you look up and you see 77 pitches in the fourth inning, you feel like you have a chance. But he is what he is. He turned it up the next three or four innings and we didn't really get good swings at him."

Once Kershaw gained a feel for his curveball in the fifth inning, the Braves were finished.

Kershaw struck out nine of the last 11 batters he faced, including six in a row in one stretch.

"As soon as we got on the same page and figured out the off-speed pitch, that was the ticket," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Those fifth, sixth and seventh innings, he rolled through and got all those strikeouts. That was amazing."

Also at AJC, "Kershaw strikes out 12 as Braves, Medlen lose Game 1."