Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has won three of the past five National League Cy Young awards, as well as the NL MVP Award in 2014 and is 114-56 with a 2.13 ERA — the lowest of any starting pitcher in the live-ball era,.
Although he is just 27 years old, most would view his career as successful. The one perception Kershaw has had trouble shaking is that he’s unable to deliver in the postseason.
He made progress on changing that narrative last October by delivering on short rest in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the New York Mets to keep the Dodgers’ World Series hopes alive.
Kershaw went 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA against the Mets in the NLDS, and is now 2-6 with a 4.59 ERA in 10 postseason games (13 starts).
While the southpaw, widely regarded as the best pitcher in baseball, has enjoyed plenty of personal success thus far, Kershaw hardly views himself in the same light as he explained in an interview on Game Night with Matt Perrault:
“Winning. I think that’s really it. It’s kind of a finite line for me. Our team had a successful season to a certain point, but really at the end of the day, 29 teams fail. One team succeeds and that’s a pretty pessimistic way to look at it, I know. But, it keeps you hungry and keeps you motivated for the next season. If I ever win a World Series, I might just call it a career. I just can’t imagine what that would feel like.”
Kershaw went on to provide details of what his goal is when he takes the mound:
“Pitching is very individualistic, with knowing that it’s completely out of your control whether you win the game based on what your team does. For me, I have to try and do my job, which sounds pretty cliché. At the end of the day, if you can just kind of keep your team in the game, especially on the Dodgers. We’re going to put a winning product out there, we’ve done that as long as I’ve been there and been fortunate enough to go to five postseasons now, so I know we’re going to have that team behind you. It’s really just a matter of trying to pitch as deep into the game as possible. That’s what most important to me. If you’re pitching deep into the game as a starting pitcher, it’s helping everything else out — helping your bullpen, helping your team stay in a rhythm, you’re getting out of the innings fast, you’re getting a team off the field, so really that’s the only thing I try to control, which is stay in the game as long as possible.”
The recent interview with Perrault isn’t the first time Kershaw has essentially stated anything short of a World Series win is a failure. In August 2014 he infamously said it was “World Series or bust” for the Dodgers. Kershaw then reiterated that stance the following August.
For as much as Kershaw strives for perfection and is motivated to lead the Dodgers to a World Series, he is also mindful of celebrating moments as they come along and welcomes high expectations.
