Upon reaching the World Series for the first time since 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers were met by the Houston Astros, who were considered juggernaut in their own right.
The Dodgers’ postseason run to the Fall Classic not only punctuated what had been a dominant regular season, but also was built on a bit of redemption for Clayton Kershaw. He had taken plenty of criticism for his shortcomings in October, but 2017 wielded different results.
It ultimately all came crashing down on Kershaw and the Dodgers as they fell to the Astros in seven games. But perception of what had been called an all-time World Series matchup has dramatically changed as it’s come to light the Astros electronically stole signs.
The organization has largely mishandled their responses to Major League Baseball’s investigation, including with a press conference Thursday that backfired and put the Astros under more scrutiny.
Kershaw joined the chorus of teammates and players across baseball who remain dissatisfied with Houston’s handling of the situation, but he also wants to move past the entire incident, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
"Then you get the owner up there saying some dumb stuff and it's like what's going on. How can you be that ignorant to what's going on?" 2/2
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 14, 2020
In his first public comments last month, Kershaw agreed with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in that the Astros had not shown enough remorse. “It’s frustrating,” Kershaw said at the fifth annual Justin Turner Golf Classic.
“Obviously, the players got immunity to talk about it, so we wouldn’t have the information without that, and I understand that. I think J.T. said something about how, if there’s enough evidence to fire that many people, it may be cause for some more things down the way.
“It is a little bit interesting that the Astros players haven’t said, ‘Sorry,’ or meant it, or anything like that. Not a whole lot of remorse yet,” Kershaw said.
“Which, they did win a World Series and they’re not taking it back, so, I don’t know. Maybe there isn’t (any remorse). It would be good to hear from those guys and what they say about it. Maybe mean it a little bit, would be good.”
Kershaw concluded his thoughts by asserting he already was prepared to “move on,” which was the message Dodgers manager Dave Roberts delivered on the first day of Spring Training. Roberts said he would not discuss the Astros’ scandal in a meeting before the team’s first full-squad workout.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our live shows, and more!
