Jonathan Quick and Clayton Kershaw are at a parallel crossroads

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick are two icons in very similar parts of their careers.

Wednesday night could not have been worse for two sports icons that have defined this decade in  Los Angeles. In the dugout at Dodger Stadium sat Clayton Kershaw, staring out into the night shocked with disbelief on his misfortune.

On the ice in Vancouver, there was Jonathan Quick, helpless to stop the Vancouver Canucks from scoring at will saddling him with his second loss of the season in two starts.

Both Kershaw and Quick have been the faces of their franchises and both seem to be at a crossroads in their careers as both seem to have lost the magic touch to put their teams on their backs and lead them to glory.

Kershaw gave up back to back home runs in the top of the eighth inning off back to back pitches to turn a 3-1 lead into a back-breaking 3-3 tie from which the Dodgers never recovered. The Dodgers would lose the game and the series, the third year in a row the team and its fans had to watch a celebration on their field.

For Kershaw, it was the end of another terrible playoff moment, it also raised his NLDS ERA to 7.11, the second consecutive series in which he had an ERA that high after posting a 7.36 ERA in the 2018 World Series. He gave up five runs in just six innings pitched over his start and relief appearance and was not effective against the Washington Nationals.

Kershaw has been the rock of the Dodgers’ pitching staff throughout the decade, winning three Cy Young awards, the 2014 NL MVP and provided countless regular-season memories. Unfortunately, his lasting image maybe all those playoffs in which he sat staring off in the distance knowing he hadn’t pulled the Dodgers through to a World Series win.

Kershaw is signed for two more years it is very unlikely that he is moved but the reality of the situation is simply the Dodgers fans can continue to cheer for Kershaw and not trust him in the playoffs.

Jonathan Quick has a different legacy than Kershaw but he finds himself equally at a crossroads. The 2019-20 season has started horribly for Quick he has two losses with a 7.18 GAA and .750 save percentage. Quick has been terrible and it all can’t be blamed on his defense. Quick’s reflexes have looked slow and he is beginning to look past his prime.

Unlike Kershaw, Quick’s legacy as a big-game performer comes from his ability to elevate his talents when it comes to the playoffs. Quick is the Kings all-time leader in every measurable stat during the playoffs and has twice led the Kings to Stanley Cup titles winning the playoff MVP in 2012.

With the Kings in a rebuilding period where youth and skills are being emphasized, Quick is looking like an old 33 and his prospects to remain on the team looks worse every game.

Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Quick have defined the 2010’s for the Dodgers and Kings, where one is a great regular season performer who has failed in the playoff spotlight, and the other has been at his best when the playoffs rolled around they both are at a crossroads in their careers.

It is very likely that both players have seen the end of their glory days and what the future holds cannot be predicted but it may be time to move on from both.