The 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers set several franchise records en route to securing home-field advantage through the World Series. But in the end, all it got them was a Game 7 loss to the Houston Astros.
Pitching on two days’ rest, Clayton Kershaw came out of the bullpen and threw four scoreless innings with strikeouts By the time he entered, the Dodgers were trailing 5-0. They fell to the Astros, 5-1.
“It’s too hard to think about what the Astros are getting to do right now,” Kershaw said. “It’s not easy right now.”
“This month felt like 27 years. You can ask my wife, too. I think it took 10 years off her life. It’s just every game, every pitch, it’s just so intense. It’s hard.
“You go through this much effort to win that many games against this many good teams and it’s, I mean, I hope to get to this point again.”
Through the first game of the World Series, Kershaw put a significant dent in he narrative he could not succeed under bright October lights. He was 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 24.1 innings across four playoff starts.
But with an opportunity to help push the Dodgers ahead in the series, Kershaw stumbled in Game 5. He failed to protect a 4-0 and 7-4 leads, and was charged with six runs in just 4.2 innings of work.
While the season ended in disappointment, the three-time Cy Young Award attempted to find a silver lining. “It’s extremely difficult. I have to continue to remember the team that I’m on more than anything,” Kershaw said.
“When you think about how close we were, it makes it too hard to think about. I try to maintain my focus on the guys in this clubhouse, how proud I am to be a part of this team, and how special this team was and is.
“I told the guys tonight I was just thankful to be a part of this team. I was thankful for their commitment and work. It was never about one guy this whole year. We’re all feeling the same hurt. It’s a tough time.”
With a young core returning and Kershaw leading the pitching staff, the Dodgers figure to be among the 2018 World Series favorites. The organization’s championship drought will be going on 30 years.
