Los Angeles (AFP) – Clayton Kershaw is hoping to carve out his own piece of history as he attempts to inspire the Los Angeles Dodgers to a first World Series in 29 years as game one of the Major League Baseball showpiece gets under way here Tuesday.
Kershaw, arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation, will take to the mound to face the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium hoping to crown a decade of dominance with what would be his first World Series victory.
Generations of Los Angeles players have lived in the shadow of the 1988 Kirk Gibson-inspired team who were the last Dodgers to triumph in the World Series.
Kershaw, 29, said the current roster was anxious to end the decades-long wait for a seventh World Series crown.
“Yeah, 1988, we’ve heard that a lot,” Kershaw told reporters on Monday. “I grew up a Dodger and got drafted by the Dodgers.
“I didn’t know a ton of Dodger history at the time, but coming up it kind of gets ingrained in you, which is a good thing; it’s not a lot of organizations that have the type of history that the Dodgers do.
“It has been a special thing, and I hope after this week is over, they can talk about 2017 a little more and 1988 a lot less.”
Kershaw admitted, however, that while the team kept eyes on the present, he had been happy to seek guidance from a giant of the Dodgers’ past.
– ‘Special’ Koufax –
He is regularly in touch with Sandy Koufax, who pitched in four victorious Dodgers’ World Series teams between 1955 and 1965.
“Sandy is a special guy,” Kershaw said. “Not many guys with his pedigree, as levelheaded, humble as Sandy is. He just wants to talk baseball.
“He just wants to help when you want to. He just wants to talk. It doesn’t have to be about baseball. It’s been a pretty incredible thing to be a part of.”
Kershaw’s quest for a first World Series to set alongside an array of statistical achievements and accolades has become something of a Holy Grail for the towering Texan southpaw.
He led the Dodgers to a decisive win over Chicago last week that sealed a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
“When we won in Chicago, that was a pretty special moment for all of us, myself included,” Kershaw said. “Getting to say you’re going to the World Series is a pretty special thing.
“But we’ve had a few days now to let that sink in and we’re not satisfied with that now. We’ve got four more games to win.”
Kershaw, however, is wary of the formidable threat posed by the Astros, who like the Dodgers arrive in the World Series after posting more than 100 victories in the regular season.
A fearsome hitting line-up — which includes Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer — is likely to provide Kershaw and the Dodgers bullpen with a searching examination.
“They’re a great team. Their whole lineup is really solid. You saw that all year. They won 100 games for a reason,” Kershaw said, describing Altuve and Correa as “exceptional baseball players.”
“Really all the way down, they have a lot of guys that swing the bats well.”
Altuve represented a particular threat, Kershaw warned.
“He hits everything pretty well. I think that he’s super aggressive. He does everything pretty evenly throughout the board,” Kershaw said.
“He’s a tough out. I think he’s one of the toughest outs in the game. You just can’t give in to him.”
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