The 2018 season was an unconventional one for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they dealt with a number of injuries in the first half and started 16-26.
Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Click here to follow us on Apple News!
They were able to overcome every obstacle along the way, reaching the World Series for the second straight year. They were not able to overcome the final hurdle though, being defeated by the Boston Red Sox in five games in the World Series.
While obviously disappointed, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is still able to realize everything the team accomplished during the season. “Listen, the GMs couldn’t spend because of the (luxury tax) threshold, being down 10 games, a lot of injuries, a lot of stuff happened,” Jansen said.
“So we’ve got to be grateful for what we accomplished.”
Jansen credited the Red Sox for winning it all, but he also did not shortchange his own teammates for battling all the way until the end.
“I’m proud of all the guys. Like I said, it still sucks that we fell short, but the beginning of September, people didn’t think we would make the playoffs,” Jansen said. “At the end of the day, we fall down against Milwaukee and win the series. Boston, they’re a champion. They played great.”
Losing the World Series two years in a row cannot be easy for anyone. But as was the case last year, the Dodgers will head into Spring Training with the added motivation of trying to win the final game of the season for the first time since 1988.
“That one really hurts. The pain that you had last year, that really hurt,” Jansen recalled. “But the good thing is it motivated you to get back here, and we did. This one hurts, too. You can say all the good things and motivate yourself but at the end of the day it’s still going to hurt. But this is what keeps me going and makes me get better.”
For Jansen in particular, the 2018 campaign was difficult as he was forced to deal with a heart issue at the end of August. He is set to undergo a second heart surgery this offseason but should be 100 percent healthy by the start of Spring Training.
Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Click here to follow us on Apple News!
