Kershaw Retires A Champion

Haters extremely mad right now

It was a Saturday evening. I returned from a nice bike ride at the supermarket to keep up with game 7 of the World Series.

I was looking at my phone for the entire evening. The Dodgers were down 3-1 for most of the game. I thought they were doomed to lose. It was 4-2 going into the 8th.

Then Muncy got ahold of one to make it 4-3. After that came a very very eventful 9th.

In the top of the inning, Miguel Rojas CRUSHED a fastball off Jeff Hoffman. GAME TIED.

That wasn’t all though. After Blake Snell struggled through the bottom of the 9th, loading the bases for the Blue Jays. They needed to call in an EMERGENCY. In came postseason legend Yoshinobu Yamamoto with one out. Could he get the job done?

The answer was a resounding YES, but not without the help of his defense. Miguel Rojas fired a cannon home on a BANG-BANG play to get the second out. Andy Pages continued the theatrics by TOPPLING OVER Enrique Hernandez while making a nice running catch.

INNING OVER. OFF TO EXTRAS WE GO.

By now, we knew this game was an instant classic.

The 10th was scoreless for both sides. The Dodgers put some traffic on, but couldn’t muster anything.

However, the 11th was different. After Shane Bieber retired the first two batters, Will Smith CRUSHED a fastball over the left field wall. DODGERS LEAD 5-4.

But the Blue Jays weren’t ready to quit. They got runners on the corners one out. Would Yamamoto be able to close it?

YES. With one out, Alejandro Kirk dribbled a grounder to short. Mookie stepped on bag and fired a strike to first.

DODGERS WIN!!! WE ARE BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS!!!

It was an all-time series. Two extra inning games. Tons of highlight plays. High highs and low lows. Fans were out of their seat for EVERY SINGLE GAME.

The Blue Jays were the better team throughout, but the Dodgers had just enough talent to squeeze out some clutch victories against them. In the end, the boys in blue won their 9th championship, and that’s all that mattered.

Before I go on to what’s next, I want to thank the Blue Jays and their fans. They were a classy team from top to bottom. They supported Alex Vesia his absence from the World Series with the 51 hats. Their star players were likable. Their team was deep. They played with grit and heart. They made this series FUN.

Most importantly, they weren’t the Evil New York Yankees. I’m glad those bums found a way to choke in the playoffs this year.

Immediately, the first person I thought of was Clayton Kershaw. He was my favorite player of all time. My boyhood idol. After years and years of being called a playoff choker, he finished his career off with back to back rings.

I remember the years and years of everyone hating on him. Dodgers fans lamented his choking. Other teams fanbases laughed at watching the Evil Empire get eliminated early in the playoffs.

I remember being on Twitter and seeing constant tweets from Dodgers fans about how the team should move on from him. About how he was washed. How he was injury prone. People didn’t think that he would have us reach the top.

To be honest, some of the criticism was justified. His career postseason ERA was 4.62. Some of his greatest mishaps include getting owned by the Cardinals in 2013-2014 and his bullpen appearance in 2019. Yet, it’s important to realize how the postseason is a small sample size.

Luckily, Andrew Friedman was smarter than our terminally online fanbase. He kept Kershaw a Dodger through the ups and downs.

And I’m glad that he did. Kershaw DESERVED to be a one team guy. He never was one to complain when things got tough. He stayed loyal to this team when he could’ve left for somewhere else.

And his last appearance in the bigs showed who he truly was. It was the 12th inning in game 3 of the World Series., and the game was tied at 5. There were 2 outs and the bases were loaded. Nathan Lukes was up.

After a tight battle that led to a 3-2 count, Kershaw threw a slider on his 7th pitch. It was out of the zone, but Lukes chased and he…

GROUNDED IT SOFTLY TO EDMAN, WHO FLIPS IT TO FIRST WITH HIS GLOVE!!! INNING OVER!!!

Not too bad for a playoff choker.

Kershaw will ride into the sunset with 223 wins, 3052 K, a 2.53 career ERA(with only 2 seasons above 4), a 1.018 WHIP, 80.9 bWAR, 79.1 fWAR, an MVP, 3 Cy Youngs, 11 All-Star appearances, 3 ERA titles, and a pitching Triple Crown. When it is all said and done, you can add a first ballot hall of fame appearance and 22 being put in the rafters to his lofty accomplishments. This is a career that everyone DREAMS for.

However, I find his off-field behavior even more impressive. He created Kershaw’s challenge, which helps underprivileged kids in Africa. He’s a man of God who doesn’t get in any drama off of the field. He takes criticism like a champion, as he never left LA for Texas when the choking allegations peaked. He stood strong to his values, even when other people relentlessly criticized him for them.

Some people will find ways to not like Kershaw. His remarks over Pride Night have gotten some people upset, which I understand. Some people thought that he held the team back. Not everyone will like you, and that is okay.

I just wanna say that I hope someone in your life is as loyal to you as the Dodgers are to Kershaw. Regardless if that’s a parent, friend, employer, coach, or stranger, it’s important to have people supporting you through the thick and thin. I know that today’s online world, that might be tough to receive, but there is ALWAYS someone who will put the effort in to care about you.

I also have to talk about Alex Vesia. He missed the World Series, as he tragically lost his infant daughter a week ago. Words can not describe the pain his family is feeling right now. I hope God and his support system can give his family comfort during these trying times.

Last but not least, HOW ABOUT THEM DODGERS!!! After having big-time chokes in 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, they finally broke through in 2024. And they proved themselves by repeating in 2025. They beat the allegation of choking. And being a Mickey Mouse champ. 3 RINGS IN 6 YEARS, BABY!!!

I can definitely say that we got a boost by having a humongous payroll. Most teams wouldn’t have had the ability to sign Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tanner Scott over the last 2 off-seasons. However, we also have teams like the Twins literally selling off everyone for NOTHING. While I do think there needs to be more parity in baseball, we can talk about that in another discussion.

In the end, I want to emphasize that sports is entertainment. Watching the Dodgers win won’t do much to solve my unemployment. It won’t solve my health issues. It won’t ignore the fact that wealth inequality is increasing and world governments are becoming more authoritarian. It seems like things are getting worse in the world. However, an important thing to realize is to control what you can control.

I will say that the favorite thing that sports fandom brings is community. It’s definitely been a smaller one than last year, as I deleted all my social media(except here and YouTube) for mental health and productivity reasons. Yet, I still have been able to meet people both online and in person for one reason only: we like the same sports team.

That’s all folks. Whether you know me in person, or met me online, most people think of me as a Dodgers fan first. Even though I’m not really as into baseball as my peak years, I’ve still found ways to enjoy the game. I always enjoy sharing my opinions about things, and am thankful for the support.

I might be one week late, but better late than never.