Cody Bellinger played a key role for the Los Angeles Dodgers en route to their first World Series win since 1988, but along the way he also made headlines and became an internet sensation due to facial expressions cameras caught on live TV.
The moments would occur when Bellinger was in the dugout, and the screen grabs became fodder for social media. It also was among the topics Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw discussed during their joint appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The 2019 National League MVP laughed off the instances and offered a clarification to refute jokes that arose. Of course, even that appropriately came with Bellinger’s video feed freezing and producing yet another memorable look.
He and Kershaw additionally discussed the feeling of being World Series champions and the possibility of eventually having a join championship celebration with the L.A. Lakers, which LeBron James pitched.
.@ClaytonKersh22 & @Cody_Bellinger on their #WorldSeries WIN! 🎉 @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/kKWi4mXywh
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) October 30, 2020
As for the environment of playing a World Series with only limited fans in attendance because of restrictions in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Kershaw couldn’t definitively say if Max Muncy alerting him to Manuel Margot’s attempted steal of home.
Kershaw again gave Muncy credit for bringing it to his attention by shouting to step off the mound and throw home. Had the World Series been held under normal circumstances, Game 5 would’ve taken place at Tropicana Field. In that case, Muncy’s gesturing may have been more important than actually yelling.
Kershaw: ‘legacy’ doesn’t matter
Throughout his career, Kershaw was dogged by questions over whether he was capable of succeeding in the postseason. It was a perception created by a set of challenging and complex circumstances that led mixed results in October.
Now a World Series champion, that is all Kershaw is concerned with. “I don’t care about any of that, man,” he said after Game 6. “We won the World Series. I don’t care about legacy, I don’t care about what happened last year.
“I don’t care at all, man. We won the World Series. The 2020 Dodgers won the World Series. Who cares about all that other stuff? To be a part of that team, all that other stuff is just pointless. It doesn’t matter. We won. It’s great.”
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