Clayton Kershaw faced 11,279 plate appearances in his Dodgers career.
The very biggest of those? The very last. Nathan Lukes in the top of the 12th, 2025 World Series Game 3.
It was the single highest-leverage official plate appearance Kershaw pitched in his Dodgers career.
By championship win probability added, this is the most consequential game-ending at-bat in the 123 year history of Major League Baseball.
Itโs the baseball equivalent of the Malcolm Butler interception in Super Bowl 49.
Top Plays of 2025: No. 1
- World Series Game 7
- Bottom of the 11th, 1-run lead
- Tying run on 3B
Yoshinobu Yamamoto induces a double play, and the @Dodgers win back-to-back titles!
@trueblubrewcrew@Jared_Carrabis He played third base for the Dodgers for part (but not all) of the 1965 World Series. Thatโs what Vin is referring to.
@jazayerli Not only was it the most impactful defensive play ever by cWPA, it was the greatest game-ending play in all of MLB history. It dwarfs every walk-off home run ever hit, from a cWPA analysis.
@jhwkr542@jazayerli The force at home in the bottom of the 9th had a Championship WPA of -17.47% for Toronto. Huge, but nowhere near as huge (since the game was still tied + there was still an out left in the inning).
@papanoel_cool@jazayerli Only -24.13%. The leverage of that play was enormous, but the odds still strongly favored the Yankees winning the game (since there were two outs). So when Richardson made his catch, it only decreased SF's odds of a championship from 24% to 0%.
@FoolishBB Hal Smith wins for the highest cWPA play ever. But the highest cWPA *game-ending* play, was Kirk grounding into a double play to end Game 7. No walk-off in baseball history comes close to the cWPA of that GIDP.
@ScoopStan@FoolishBB I believe that Kirk's plate appearance is now 3rd all-time in CLI. Only McCovey and Eddie Murray (1979 WS Game 7) were higher in leverage.
@BlakeHHarris WHAT A PERFORMANCE FROM BLAKE HARRIS
MADE US ALL NERVOUS AND THEN CAME THROUGH HUGE
LETS GET TO THE ALTAR AND SEAL THE DEAL
MAKE IT HAPPEN CAPTAIN!