Clayton Kershaw got his groove back in dominant NLDS performance

Sports are simply the grandest, most sprawling of soap opera narratives. But rather than twin brothers and ex-lovers showing up, it's walk-off home runs and seeing-eye singles. Entering Tuesday night's NLDS Game 4 between the Dodgers and Mets, the most insidious of these narratives was that Clayton Kershaw, pitching lord of this realm, couldn't pitch in the postseason. 

With a career 4.99 postseason ERA, including five consecutive losses to his name, it seemed like whatever magic makes Kershaw the reigning Cy Young during the regular season runs out in October. 

Maybe it's because he's tired out from another 200-something-inning season. 

Maybe it's because of simple bad luck on balls in play. 

Maybe it's because baseball is inherently cruel and unfair and so the universe simply refused to let Kershaw succeed in the playoffs like he did during the season. 

The only explanation that seemed impossible was that Kershaw was not a big-game pitcher. After all, how could someone possibly post a career 2.43 ERA over 1,611 innings and struggle in big situations. 

But just like debating over the real Princess Gina is pointless until the final reveal, so too was fretting over Kershaw before the Dodgers' 3-1 victory. 

The pitcher proved that on Tuesday night. Taking the mound on three days' rest for the third time in his postseason career, and with the Dodgers in a must-win game if they wanted to return home to Los Angeles, the ace was the dominant pitcher we've grown to expect.

Kershaw pitched seven innings, surrendering only one run on a Daniel Murphy homer, while striking out eight. That included one stretch where Kershaw got six consecutive outs on strikeouts -- only one single keeping it from being a straight shot. 

Kershaw was even a menace at the plate. Batting in the top of the third, Kershaw got a curveball over the plate from the Mets' Steven Matz and he dropped it into left field like he was in the lineup for his offensive firepower. 

Turns out, like your young siblings, he was just trying to be annoying. 

While this narrative has been put to bed, with the series now tied at two and heading back to L.A. for a deciding Game 5 on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on TBS, there are a number of others to consider. 

Like: 

- Whose hair is better: Jacob deGrom's or Zack Greinke's?  

- What would happen if Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig played on the same team, even for a minute? Would the universe implode? 

- Just what was Bartolo Colon talking about in the bullpen? 

Perhaps we'll get some answers and perhaps we'll have to wait for the next season of As Baseball Turns.