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MLB WORLD SERIES: DODGERS VS RED SOX

October 22, 2018

Clayton Kershaw

Boston, Massachusetts - Workout Day

Q. How much did pitching the other night mess with your routine? Was it a challenge to get back on line to be set up for today?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: No, it was fine. Obviously it was somewhat of a normal inning, which was good. I tried to throw as few pitches as possible in the bullpen before. Obviously the intensity is different and things like that, but that's why I came here yesterday to make sure everything was good, and should be good.

Q. Two things: First, shorts last night, were you all cold in that bullpen work?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: You know, it's just trying to get used to it. If I'm cold yesterday, then I won't be as cold tomorrow.

Q. As you look at the way the game has evolved in the last few years, do you wonder at all if pitchers like you, starting pitchers, 20-win pitchers, will become somewhat extinct in the next ten years?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: People are going to need starting pitchers. I think it's a very cost-effective thing to do, obviously, to bullpen and have a deep bullpen, because starting pitchers are more expensive and things like that. But I think us as an organization, us as a union, will definitely have to take a closer look at that, if that's the way the game is going. Because I think everybody should be compensated according to what they are worth in the game, so if the bullpen is going to have more value, they're going to have to pay them more. I think that's just the bottom line.

To answer your question, you're still going to need to get innings from your starters. You're still going to have to do that. Over the course of a playoff series, absolutely, I think you can do that. You saw the Brewers do that very effectively. But over the course of 162 games you're going to need guys to pitch six or seven innings.

Q. When you look back on last year's World Series, what kind of recollections do you have? And what kind of impact do you think that makes in a positive way for this year?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think it's good that we've been there. I think for our team to get to come back after last year and get a taste of it what it was like last year, and going to seven games, playing the full seven and coming that close, I think the experience can help a little bit as far as what to expect. But really other than that, not a whole lot, no.

Q. For you personally?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Same thing, good experience, yeah. Not a good experience, but experience, yeah (laughter).

Q. I believe you touched on it in the NLCS, when you think about the World Series and winning one, and the list of things you've accomplished, the list of things the team has accomplished the last six years, how critical of a piece is the ring, is winning it all?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: It's pretty critical. You know, I really want to win the World Series. I think that's no different than the other 50 guys in both locker rooms, though. I think the only difference maybe is that because we've gotten so close in the past, because we've gotten to go to the postseason, we're a little bit spoiled in our expectations every year with the Dodgers, which is a great thing.

Realistically going into Spring Training every team says they want to win a World Series but realistically that's probably not an option for at least half the teams. So for us when we say it, we really mean it. When we go to the postseason six times in a row, it becomes that much more evident that we're very fortunate to be on a great team, but we're still missing that ring. There's no secret that we want to win.

Q. Is it anymore difficult to spin the ball in the cold?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think as a starting pitcher you get pretty loose, pretty warm before the game, and then the trick is to try and stay loose in between innings. But once you're out there and once you're loose, there's really not that much of a difference between warm and cold. Obviously, I haven't pitched in the cold very much, done it a few times. Once you get loose, once you get out there, it's really not that much different.

Q. Is it part of your process to look across at who the opposing pitcher is? And can you appreciate at all the two best southpaws in the game going against each other?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Chris is a very good pitcher. He was dominant this year. He's been dominant for a long time. I enjoy watching him compete.

American League parks are a little bit different; I don't have to hit against him. Probably wouldn't have been a good matchup for me. I have nothing but good things to say about him and the way he competes and the way he's pitched the last few years. I don't take much solace in the fact about the matchup, I don't really care too much, other than I'd like him to not be as good, so we could have a better chance of winning, for sure.

Q. Throughout this postseason, of course we've seen a lot of teams that go with the bullpen and relying heavily on the relievers. This World Series is really going to be based on a lot of starting pitching, and that could really determine who wins this series. How important is to you to be a part of that and go deep into the games and have this as more of a traditional series?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Every series plays out differently. I know they made a big thing about the bullpens in our last series with the Brewers, and it ended up being that the Brewers starters threw the ball really well, and our bullpen threw the ball really well. We've got some names and some recognition on the starting pitcher side, but other than that, just go out there and win the game. It doesn't matter if you throw three innings, five innings, seven innings, everybody is going to be ready. There's only seven games left potentially. So try to make them count.

Q. What have you learned over the years about the toll that pitching all the way through October can take on your body and what you might be able to do to limit that? Have you gotten smarter and more efficient about that over the last half dozen years?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Yeah, I've gotten hurt the last few years, it really kept my innings down, it's been good (laughter). No, pitching in the World Series, you're pitching on adrenaline all through October anyway. So all of us come November 1st probably aren't feeling so great when the adrenaline wears off, but it's one big sprint this month, and then you take a little bit to regroup. But everybody's probably feeling fine right now for sure.

Q. You having never pitched here before, is this a place you hoped to pitch some day? With all you've done in your career, it's funny you haven't pitched here.
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I don't really think about that stuff. I appreciate the history and everything that goes along with Fenway Park. But I came here, I don't know how long ago, 2000 something and got to at least see it, got to be here, got to appreciate the stadium and things like that.

Check this one off as far as pitching tomorrow, but I don't really think about the history part of it too much, honestly.

Q. When you look at left field there and the short porch, do you compare it at all to maybe pitching in Houston, the way they had the left field short porch there? And can you take anything from pitching against the Astros last year to Fenway?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: No, short porches obviously in both places to the left, but I don't think you can let the ballparks dictate how you pitch. You have to go with your game plan regardless of where you're pitching. And usually when I give up homers, they're not cheap anyway. So it probably won't matter if there's a fence there or not that's really close.

I don't look too much in the ballparks honestly. It will be good to get out there today with our team just so we can get a feel for it, outfield-wise and position-wise, things like that, but other than that, don't take too much stock in it.

Q. What do you think the job Friedman has done since he came over here? Came from a small-market team with a small payroll. How would you kind of analyze the boss's work? Give him a job review.
CLAYTON KERSHAW: You can't say bad, right? Andrew's done great. It's been fun to be a part of what he's done here. And honestly a lot of the changes you don't see on the other side of like the research and development and the Minor League system and things like that, things that he's had a big part in changing around here. But you can't argue with the results. He's put us in a great position to win every single year. He's brought in guys midseason and offseason, things like that. And obviously at the Major League level we don't really care about the Minor League system and things like that, we just want to win now. But he's done a great job of not taking everything out of the farm system, either, which I guess is important.

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