The Los Angeles Dodgers had earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs as they recorded 106 wins during the 2019 season. In the National League Divisional Series they would host the Washington Nationals in a best-of-five series. On paper this looked like an easy series for the Dodgers against the wild card team. But as the old adage goes, you don’t play the game on paper.

So, it was quite a surprise when the Nationals and Dodgers were tied two games apiece forcing a decisive game 5 winner take all at Dodger Stadium. It was to be a pitcher’s duel with Stephen Strasburg starting for Washington and Walker Buehler getting the start for Los Angeles. Before the game even began Dodgers manager Dave Roberts proclaimed that at some point during the game he would bring in Clayton Kershaw to pitch.

That statement struck me as odd when I heard it. I wondered why he would say that? Was he suggesting he lacked confidence in Buehler? Did he think that statement would intimidate the Washington Nationals worried they would have to face Kershaw and Buehler in the same game? Or was it just Roberts way of saying that everyone was available in that game?

When Game 5 began the Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning and added another run in the second inning staking the Dodgers to a 3-0 lead. Buehler looked commanding through six innings giving up on 4 hits and 1 run. Then as predicted, Roberts went to the mound in the seventh inning with one out remaining and lifted Buehler from the game and brought in Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw has long been the Dodgers ace but has struggled in the post season. He came in with a runner on first and struck out Adam Eaton to end the inning. Had that been the end, this post would not have been written. Instead Roberts stuck with Kershaw in the eighth inning where he gave up back-to-back home runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto and like that the game was tied.

Roberts made a pitching change bringing in Kenta Maeda. Kershaw walked off the mound to a chorus of boos. Granted the boos were just as much for Roberts as they were for Kershaw but the hometown crowd was definitely displeased.

The game remained tied going extra innings when Joe Kelly gave up a grand slam giving the Nationals a 7-3 win and sent the Dodgers packing for the winter.

During the latter moments of that game the television cameras panned into the Dodgers dugout to see a distraught Kershaw sitting there replaying the events of tonight’s game. I will be the first to admit I was cheering wildly for the Nationals and against the Dodgers. Partly because of so many Diamondbacks players now with the Nationals and partly because the Dodgers had crushed the dreams of Diamondbacks fans so many times it felt good to see them face adversity.

But as I stared at that picture of Kershaw my outlook changed. Here was a man who has given the best years of his life for this franchise and city. Here was a hero who had been vanquished and who seemed lost not knowing why failure continued to haunt him in the post season. I began to look in wonder at this person who is one of the greats ever to play this game and how beside himself he was for letting down his team and the fans.

After the game was over Kershaw faced a mob of reporters all wanting to know how he felt. I know they were merely doing their job but it seemed cruel nonetheless. Kershaw though stood tall. He was still trying to deal with the emotions and self-doubts but stood there and faced the press holding himself accountable and accepting blame when it really wasn’t his to accept. Yes he gave up 2 runs but the Dodgers offense could have scored in the next three innings yet the blame was being shouldered by Kershaw.

Outside Dodgers Stadium was a different story. There fans were extremely frustrated having lost again in the playoffs extending the streak of not winning the World Series since 1988. You could see fans taking off Kershaw jerseys and throwing them or in the most disturbing development, two fans had taken Kershaw jerseys and throwing them in front of cars for angry drivers to drive over the jerseys.

I began to wonder where had compassion gone, where did loyalty go, and mostly what happened to empathy? I get it that you wanted to see a World Series title and after so much success you expected it. Dodger fans somehow have begun to feel entitled and anything that stands in their way is expendable including someone such as Clayton Kershaw who had been responsible for much of the Dodgers past success.

There is always danger in generalizations, and I know there are likely more fans who felt sadness and empathy for Kershaw and all of the Dodgers but those vocal minorities have painted a picture of all fans and their disgust with failure. Somehow this night Kershaw became the victim of their anger. It was hard to watch even if I don’t classify myself as a Dodger fan.

Fans need to be better than this. We shouldn’t take joy in another’s failure. This is not what baseball is about. On that night circumstances may have gone differently than the hometown crowd expected but instead of congratulating the victors and consoling the vanquished it became a lasting view of how our society jumps to the extreme to produce a viral moment.