Clayton Kershaw

Entering play Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers were in a free fall.

They'd dropped six straight to the lowly Miami Marlins and punchless San Diego Padres. They'd slid a game below .500 and were looking less and less like big-spending, three-time defending division champs.

It's high noon in the NL West. Into a deserted clearing step Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner. A breeze rolls tumbleweeds across the ground.

What happens next?

JUPITER, Fla. — Is that coconut smell sunblock or a pina colada? Tough to tell in the Grapefruit League...

1. Yadier Molina Is All Thumbs

Along about December, Yadier Molina noticed his left hand just didn't feel right.

NEW YORK — Clayton Kershaw got through the seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers got through the fourth game.

And all it means is that this National League Division Series is headed where it was always supposed to end up.

FINAL SCORE: Dodgers 3, Mets 1

Trailing 2-1 in the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers answered the call to force a final game with a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets in Game 4 at Citi Field on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers took an early lead by scoring three runs in the third inning off Steven Matz. Adrian Gonzalez hit a bloop single that scored Enrique Hernandez from third, and Justin Turner later followed with a double down the left field line that scored Howie Kendrick and Gonzalez.

April through September, Clayton Kershaw dwarfs the gorgeous San Gabriel Mountains backdrop at Dodger Stadium.

In October, those same mountains make him look small.

It has become one of the most inexplicable rituals of autumn, like Linus awaiting the Great Pumpkin and why so many people love candy corn. Kershaw, one of the greatest pitchers of our generation, steps into the postseason, and the Big Blue Train careens off the track.

One man. One pitch. That is what stands in the way of the New York Mets potentially taking a 1-0 National League Division Series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Normally, one player stands out as the undisputed key to a team's championship run.

Last year, Madison Bumgarner stepped up and helped lead the San Francisco Giants to a third World Series title in five years.

Before that, David Ortiz launched a monster shot off Joaquin Benoit to help the Boston Red Sox gain momentum, surge past the Detroit Tigers and eventually win a championship.

Can someone put together a similar performance in 2015 and live in postseason lore forever?

Let's take a look at a critical player for each playoff team.

Last October gave us one of the most impressive one-man performances in Major League Baseball postseason history. 

Madison Bumgarner made seven appearances for the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 postseason, and they needed every single inning he gave them as they marched to their third World Series title in five years.

Bumgarner had a 1.03 ERA in 52.2 innings, and his five shutout innings in relief in Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals was one of the more memorable relief outings of any playoffs in the game’s long history.

Clayton Kershaw has won multiple Cy Young Awards, a Most Valuable Player Award and thrown a no-hitter over his illustrious eight-year MLB career. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace checked another accomplishment off his checklist: throwing 300 strikeouts in a single season.