MILWAUKEE – Clayton Kershaw's mixed track record in the postseason took a shocking turn towards the ignominious in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lefty and three-time Cy Young Award Winner a game-tying home run to Milwaukee Brewers reliever Brandon Woodruff in the bottom of the third inning.

And just how unlikely was that?

Woodruff has just 18 career at-bats, but he did not do it anymore and is 4 for 18 (.222) lifetime. However, this blast cut particularly deep because the Brewers were attacking the Dodgers from a most unorthodox standpoint: Giving Gio Gonzalez a start to neutralize the Dodgers' left-handed bets out of the gate, fully expecting Gonzalez – who made just five regular-season starts for them and did not pitch in the NL Division Series – would not be long for the game.

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Sure enough, he got just six outs, and did not get a chance to win before he was yanked from the game by manager Craig Counsell.

Woodruff followed the soft-tossing lefty by blowing 96-mph heat by the Dodgers, but here's a bug in Counsell's strategy: Woodruff would have to lead the bottom of the third inning.

Kershaw, whose fastball velocity has decreased from 93.6 mph in 2015 to 90.9 this season, had recorded just two swings and misses to that point. And it looked for the world that Woodruff was happy to leave the bat on his shoulder.

Finally, we have 2-2 count, he's fouled off at 91-mph fastball. The next pitch came in at 92 mph.

It is well beyond the fence in right field.

Woodruff windmilled his arms as he rounded his second to the Miller Park crowd, which needed no such encouragement, and things went further south for Kershaw and battery mate. Yasmani Grandal that inning.

The Dodgers would have escaped the inning with a 1-1 tie, but the Grand Duchess was a Jesus Aguilar. He also committed his second pass of the night and committed another error on a throw from the outfield.

By in's end, it was 2-1 Brewers. More notably, it was better, Brewers 'Gang of Pitchers over the Dodgers' erstwhile ace.