After winning a Major League-best 43 games during the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers entered the playoffs on a mission to capture their first World Series title since 1988.
The club steamrolled through the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres in the first two rounds to set the stage for a National League Championship Series matchup against the Atlanta Braves.
Despite falling behind, 3-1, the Dodgers strung together three consecutive victories to complete the comeback and advance to their third Fall Classic in the last four seasons.
L.A. then finished the job after winning four of six against the Tampa Bay Rays. For Clayton Kershaw, one of the organization’s longest-tenured players, finally getting over the hump was all the more special.
The left-hander revealed that for the first time in his career, he has been able to just sit back and relish the moment and accomplishment, via SportsNet LA:
“I think this is kind of the first time I’ve been able to kind of sit back and enjoy something. When everything is so team-based, winning the World Series has been the only goal. I don’t take for granted some of the things that I’ve been able to accomplish individually, but at the end of the day we’ve always set out to win a World Series. I’ve always been a part of good teams, it’s never been about rebuilding, it’s never been about just get your stats and everything else will play out.
“It’s always been about the Dodgers to win a World Series. Now that we’ve actually accomplished that goal, I think I’ve let myself sit back and enjoy that. Definitely more so than anything else, because this has really been the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s a great feeling, I’ve enjoyed it and I’m definitely not taking it for granted right now.”
Prior to the 2020 season, a World Series championship was the one thing that eluded Kershaw. He had accomplished virtually everything from an individual standpoint, including winning three NL Cy Young Awards and MVP honors.
Kershaw can now call himself a champion after many years of postseason frustration. He was instrumental in the Dodgers capturing the title, accumulating a 4-1 record with a 2.93 ERA and 0.91 WHIP across 30.2 innings (five postseason starts).
While winning a World Series will only help his Hall of Fame chances, Kershaw previously dismissed the idea that his legacy is something that concerns him. “I don’t care at all, man. We won the World Series,” he said after Game 6.
“The 2020 Dodgers won the World Series. Who cares about all that other stuff? To be a part of that team, all that other stuff is just pointless. It doesn’t matter. We won. It’s great.”
Kershaw playing Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ on repeat
Not too long after the Dodgers defeated the Rays in Game 6 of the World Series, Kershaw revealed that he had been playing Queen’s “We Are The Champions” every chance he got.
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