The Los Angeles Dodgers warmed Clayton Kershaw up in the ninth inning.
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But when the game got to the 10th inning, they subbed in Emmet Sheehan, not the legendary starting pitcher.
It was 5-5, and the Dodgers wanted to get the game to the bottom of the 10th at that scoreline.
Instead of using the future Hall of Famer, they used the baby-faced Sheehan.
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Why is Emmet Sheehan pitching, not Clayton Kershaw?
The Dodgers decided to turn to someone who they have more frequently used out of the bullpen.
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Sheehan has already pitched in this series, unlike Kershaw.
Kershaw is pitching out of the bullpen because he doesn’t have another obvious role for manager Dave Roberts in the Dodgers’ gameplan. It’s an odd spot for the lifelong starting pitcher to be, so he hasn’t seen much action this postseason.
He didn’t pitch at all in the NLCS as the Dodgers’ starting pitchers put together long outings in a four-game sweep of the Brewers.
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He got to pitch in the NLDS against the , but in 2.0 innings, he allowed five runs, including two home runs.
Kershaw may still get in during the World Series, in Game 3 or otherwise. But for the time being, the Dodgers went a different direction.