The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. It was Los Angeles' first loss of the postseason, and they can still move on to the NLCS with a win on Thursday. Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw blew an opportunity at a sweep with a brutal relief outing, but Mookie Betts came to his defense.
Mookie Betts on Clayton Kershaw's rough night:
"We can't use two innings. He's gonna have a statue in front of Dodger Stadium. Kershaw is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best pitchers to ever do it. If you let two innings ruin that, then you don't know baseball." pic.twitter.com/UligTaXKGN
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) October 9, 2025
“We can't use two innings. He's gonna have a statue in front of Dodger Stadium. Kershaw is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. One of the best pitchers to ever do it. If you let two innings ruin that, then you don't know baseball,” Betts said, per Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation.
Kershaw came out of the Dodgers' bullpen in the seventh inning with LA down 3-1. He got through the seventh inning, getting Brandon Marsh to line out with the bases loaded. But he did not have as much luck in the eighth with JT Realmuto leading off the inning with a solo homer. Trea Turner hit a two-run single just before Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer, blowing the game open.
Kershaw announced that this season would be his last after 18 years with the Dodgers. After a stellar season as a back-end starter, he was bumped to the bullpen to help a struggling unit. With Roki Sasaki dominating out of the ‘pen, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was hoping his Hall of Famer could follow suit. It did not work out in Game 3, but he may be leaned on again.
The Dodgers have another chance to send the Phillies home on Thursday afternoon in Chavez Ravine. They will put Tyler Glasnow on the hill against Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez. Glasnow will have to go deep into the game to prevent Philly's offense from teeing off on the bullpen once again.
