"TORONTO -- ON A night when the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions, one glorious era in the franchise's history ended, while another one very much looks like it might continue indefinitely. The Dodgers closed out the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-4 win in extra innings in Game 7 on Saturday, a fitting finale for what was easily the best World Series of this decade and perhaps much longer than that. As Los Angeles closed in on another crown, it was easy to think about the fourth lefty on the Dodgers' bullpen depth chart, a 37-year-old who just happens to be a future Hall of Famer, and who was watching his last game as an active big leaguer."
"This lefty is Clayton Kershaw, who announced his retirement late in the season and has been on something of a farewell tour ever since, only getting into a couple of postseason games. Kershaw hasn't been a mere bystander: His snuffing of a bases-loaded Toronto threat in the Dodgers' epic 18-inning Game 3 win in this World Series was crucial. And that's gratifying because it means Kershaw was at least a contributor to the third championship of his storied career. He went out on a high note."
"While Kershaw is calling it quits, the team he is leaving behind is as strong as it has ever been. Indeed, it might be as strong as any team has ever been when you consider a multiyear window, and the trajectory of the franchise strongly suggests that this already tremendous period of domination is not going to end anytime soon. As the Dodgers bid adieu to an all-time great, it's worth considering the Kershaw Era as a whole, where the Dodgers were when he arrived in Los Angeles as a touted first-round hotshot, and what they have become since."
The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions, closing out the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in extra innings in Game 7. The series included an epic 18-inning Game 3 and pivotal bullpen moments. Clayton Kershaw, a 37-year-old lefty and future Hall of Famer, announced his retirement late in the season and made limited postseason appearances. Kershaw recorded a crucial out with the bases loaded in Game 3 and thus contributed to his third championship. The Dodgers remain exceptionally strong and appear poised to extend their period of domination, framing a definitive Kershaw Era for the franchise.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]