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By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press
TORONTOÂ â Clayton Kershaw ended his illustrious 18-year career unaware that heâd just won the World Series again.
At least at first.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7 on Saturday night to become the first team in a quarter century to win consecutive championships.
But that was news to Kershaw initially.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner was warming up in the bullpen and had lost track of the outs when Alejandro Kirk grounded into a game-ending double play with runners at the corners.
âWhen he hit the double play, I thought the run scored and it was tied. I had no idea. I thought I had the next batter,â Kershaw said, laughing.
It was left to Dodgers bullpen catcher Josh Bard to let Kershaw know the game was over and they had won.
âBardo was there and he looked at me, he said, `We just won the World Seriesâ and I was like, `Are you sure?ââ
The 37-year-old left-hander announced in September his plans to retire after this season.
He said at his locker Saturday night that he couldnât have asked for anything more. Kershaw spent his entire career with the Dodgers and won three World Series rings. He became one of the greatest pitchers of his generation and one of Los Angelesâ most beloved athletes of the 21st century.
âItâs not a sad feeling. It really isnât,â Kershaw said. âI mean, how cool is this? I will forever for the rest of my life be able to say we won Game 7 of the World Series in the last game I ever played. You canât script that. You canât write it up. Even if I was not throwing 88 (mph), I still would be done. Itâs just the perfect way to end it.â
The three-time Cy Young Award winner made a clutch appearance out of the bullpen in the 12th inning of Game 3, a 6-5 victory that stretched 18 tense innings.
âYou canât script that, either. Iâm thankful to get out there and get that last out,â he said. âThatâs so cool.â
In his prime from 2010-15, Kershaw led the National League in ERA five times, in strikeouts three times and wins twice.
He has already earned a place alongside Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Don Newcombe and Fernando Valenzuela among the greatest pitchers to wear Dodger Blue.
Kershaw had one of the best pitching seasons ever in 2014, when he finished 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 233 strikeouts to win both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards in the NL.
Kershaw built his reputation with a pitching style that relies on deception, movement and velocity changes. He has said he modeled his mechanics after his favorite childhood pitcher, Roger Clemens.
The 11-time All-Star is tied with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years playing with the Dodgers. Kershaw also won World Series championships in 2020 and 2024.
He has a career record of 222-96 and 15 shutouts, most among active major leaguers. He threw his only no-hitter in June 2014 against Colorado.
His 2.54 ERA is the lowest of any pitcher in the live-ball era since 1920, and his winning percentage tops all pitchers with at least 200 victories since 1900.
Kershaw said heâs been offered a job by Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.
âHe mentioned something where I can hang out,â Kershaw said. âI donât know what that looks like, but this is a special organization and they donât need me to win World Series â thatâs obvious. But if thereâs anything that I can do in the future to be a part of it, I hope thatâs the case.â
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb