ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 27: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Max Muncy #13 after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game Six to win the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field on October 27, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw can bury the narrative
Now that Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers has finally won a World Series, we can put a narrative to rest.
When the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won their seventh World Series title, the dumbest narrative in all of sports was finally buried. It can never be said that Clayton Kershaw is not a World Series champion.
Despite having the lowest ERA (2.43), lowest WHIP rate (1.003) of any pitcher in the live-ball era with at least 1,000 innings, and winning three CY Young awards and an MVP the albatross around Kershaw’s neck was the lack of World Series success.
Instead of being acknowledged for his greatness, the argument always came up that Kershaw could not taste October success. The enduring image was Kershaw slumped on the Dodgers bench as another season ended without World Series success.
This October the Dodgers didn’t carry Kershaw on the way to the title, he wasn’t just a passenger as others came through for him, no Kershaw did as much to bury the narrative himself.
This October Kershaw went 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA striking out 37 in 30 2/3 innings while walking just five batters. In the World Series Kershaw went 2-0 striking out 14 and allowing 3 runs in 11 2/3 innings.
Kershaw wasn’t perfect in October, but he didn’t need to be he just had to give his team a chance to win, and he did that every time he was given the ball.
It is no wonder that the championship which means so much to the Dodgers, means so much to Kershaw.
During the championship celebration manager, Dave Roberts summed up the collective sentiment of every Dodgers fan. “You wanna talk about a narrative? How about being a champion?”
Even Los Angeles other sports king Lebron James chimed in to talk about Kershaw:
In the postgame press conference Kershaw himself took on the narrative thread:
“I don’t care about legacy. I don’t care about what happened last year. I don’t care about what people think. I don’t care at all, man,” Kershaw said. “We won the World Series. The 2020 Dodgers won the World Series. It’s like, who cares about all that other stuff? To be a part of that team, all that other stuff is just pointless.”
Kershaw is absolutely right, the greatest pitcher of his generation doesn’t have to think about what has happened in the past or about a silly narrative. Like countless other times, his game did the talking this time it ended with the ultimate trophy in his hands.
So yes let’s bury the narrative, Clayton Kershaw is a World Series champion and that will never change.
