Dodgers Celebrate National League West Title with Bitter Taste
Amidst the celebration of their 12th National League West title in 13 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing for a bittersweet season finale. Clayton Kershaw, emblematic left-handed pitcher, reflected on the possibility of this being his last participation in a division championship.“This is what I’m going to miss,” Kershaw commented after the 8-0 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “Pitching is great and I love it too, but doing this with a group of guys, all working towards a collective goal, the camaraderie… That’s really special. You don’t find it anywhere else. There are no jobs where 37-year-olds can do that. But I’m okay, I had a great career.”
Clayton Kershaw
The Dodgers, who reached 90 wins for the 12th consecutive season, will face a wild card series for the first time since the best-of-three round was added in 2022.“You can never take winning the division title for granted,” said Freddie Freeman, who hit two home runs on Thursday. “We feel like we’re really starting to click.”
Freddie Freeman
Dave Roberts has reached the playoffs in his 10 years as Dodgers manager, nine times as division winner. The team won the World Series last season.“You only play this game for a limited time, so you only have so many opportunities to do this,” Mookie Betts commented. “I feel great. I really didn’t do anything in the first half of the season, so I got a lot of rest and I’m happy to help.”
Mookie Betts
“This was expected. We did it, maybe a little later than we expected. But I’m happy with the way we’re playing,” Roberts said. “I think we are better because of all the adversity and we are playing our best baseball now. What we have done before, it doesn’t matter. It’s more about trusting each other and playing for a championship.”
Dave Roberts
