NL DIVISION SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS DODGERS

October 6, 2023

Clayton Kershaw

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. This is a familiar space for you, but just when you think about kind of what the last month or so has looked like preparing for your start tomorrow, just how kind of good does it feel to be in this moment and to be getting the results you've been getting as of late?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: It's always special. It's always a special time in October to get to be a part of it, to get to being Game 1 starter in the Division Series. It's a special thing.

And it's something that maybe was a little up in the air when I first came back. So very thankful for the opportunity. And it's exciting. It's a good time to be a Dodger. And I'm ready to go.

Q. How much does it energize you when you hear your teammates say when you're on the mark, it really helps them, and just by you being out there helps them?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: Anytime that you have the respect of your teammates and your coaches, Doc, your manager, they want you to be out there for Game 1, it's a tremendous honor. I don't take that for granted.

It's probably a little bit more unconventional this year in how we got here, but nonetheless I'm still getting to start Game 1, so I'll take it.

Q. I believe this is career playoff start 32. I'm asking you, how has your preparation mentally and physically evolved from back in the day, 2009, to now?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: Basically pitched a full season now in the postseason. So, you can prepare all you want and get ready to go, but at the end of the day you just gotta go out there and execute and make your pitches. That never changes. The nerves never change. You still feel that no matter what.

I kind of said this today a little bit with the guys, but I think the one thing that has switched for me a little bit is you use those nerves, but where are the nerves coming from? And I think at times maybe in the past I had a fear of failure and didn't want to go out there and fail.

I think now it's just a lot more positive. It's just the nerves are from an excitement to get to pitch in the playoffs, to get to be a part of it, to be in this moment that a lot of people in the game don't get to be in.

I think that's where the nerves come from now. And I think that's a better place.

Q. When you did come back, how much of an uncertainty was it that you were going to be able to make it to this point? And has it changed your perspective at all, kind of what you're talking about, leading into this start?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think for the past however many years to get to be in the postseason, I've become more grateful for it. And I think at the end of the day I just look at some of the things that have happened and the things that I've gotten to be a part of -- and not all has been positive, obviously, but I wouldn't change it.

I'd much rather fail on the biggest stages than not to get to be here at all. It's a special thing to get to be in the postseason.

Like you said, this year was a little bit up in the air for a minute, so it makes you all the more grateful to be here.

Q. When do you think that changed for you? Was it sort of this year, was it 2021, (indiscernible) series? When did that perspective kind of shift?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I don't know, I think when you get beat down enough you start saying screw it. And I think that's kind of what happened over the years. So you can't hold it too tight. I think you can't hold it too tight. You've just got to go out there and play and pitch.

It doesn't mean it's always going to go great. But I think the mindset can definitely help with that. Just comes with experience. And thankfully for me I've gotten to do it a lot and gotten a little bit better at it over the years.

Q. You are obviously the veteran out there on the mound. With so many young players, I was wondering if you've given them any words of advice? And do you remember your very first playoff game?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think I was in the bullpen in 2008. I think I was kind of the long guy with Greg Maddux, ironically. I think we were the two long guys in the pen in 2008. That was kind of a unique experience.

But as far as talking to the young guys, no, I really haven't. I've talked to them a lot. I talk to Bobby, Pep and Sheehan a lot. They're going to feel it themselves.

Especially Bobby pitching Game 2, he'll have all those emotions and nerves. But he's got a really good head on his shoulders. I don't think he needs to hear anything from me. And he knows he can talk to me if he needs to. But I think he's going to be great. I don't think he needs my help.

Q. As far as your standing with the team and these young rookies that are going to be leaned on in the postseason, do you notice them following you around and just observing how you go about your day?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: No, not really. I don't think we've had any young guys really do that. We started with Walker. And you know Walker's on his own page anyway. But I think between him and some of these new young guys, I think being a mentor looks a lot of different ways to a lot of different people.

I was always somebody that when you talk at me, it doesn't do anything for me. So to lead by example as best you can and just kind of have guys glean what they want from that is probably the only way I know how to do it.

If you ask them, I don't know if they would tell you, if I've taught them anything or not. But just kind of how I go about my day to day teaches them a little bit.

Like I said, they're way prepared way more prepared than when I first came up. They're ready for the moment, and I think they're going to be great.

Q. Have you noticed or can you put your finger on why yourself and the other starters are embracing this type of mentality of using all 13 of you instead of just having the traditional one, two, three, four starters in the postseason?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: Look, that's what we have to do. That's where we're at as a team. I think that's a great thing, though. I really do.

And as far as embracing it or not, I think everybody's in the mindset that we just want to help this team win a World Series. And so however that looks, whatever Doc thinks is best for us to go out there and pitch, that's what we're going to do and that's when we're going to do it.

That's pretty cool. There's no egos about it. We're just going to go out there and pitch. It might look a little different than it has in years past, but it might work.

Q. Tomorrow's going to be your fourth straight Saturday start. You've had extra rest for a little bit here since coming back. How has that helped you, if at all? And do you think it kind of clears a little runway for you to not do that as much in the playoffs? Or what was the thinking behind that?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: It really messes up my college football watching. (Laughter).

But I think it will be fine. Obviously Game 4 or 5 whatever it is if we get to that point, I'll be ready to go. And things will change a little bit, obviously, a little less rest, but I think that's what we had to do to make the regular season work, and we're going to do the same in the postseason. We're going to make it work however I need to. I'll be ready.

Q. Were you able to find anything like in your last few starts there, the regular season, just that you didn't have maybe prior to that?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think I stopped chasing some things and just started embracing what I had and started learning how to pitch like that. I'm getting a little bit better at it each time. Hopefully continue to do so tomorrow.

Q. Freddie was in here earlier, talked about how he loves watching you on a start day, your whole mindset, attitude and everything. He said he would love to have a camera on that. Now, I know you would never allow that, but if you did what are the rest of us missing?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think you'd just be bored. There's not a lot going on there. I've said it before, I don't intentionally do anything on my start day. I just think I have a job to do, that's my focus that day.

The usual jokes and small talk doesn't really have much interest to me on that day.

Other than like taking a nap and throwing a ball against a wall you're not going to see a whole lot.

Q. Having seen the D-Backs several times this year, what challenges do you feel they present? And how closely did you watch their wild card series?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: We watched the games. They're a great team. They've got a really good speed and power combination in their lineup. They've got a lot of guys swinging their bats well.

They're kind of in the more traditional sense. They've got two guys that really had great years and pitched well for them and probably will get to pitch four of the five games for them in the series.

We're all familiar with each other at this point. So now we've just got to go play and see who executes better.

Q. When you say you stopped kind of chasing things at the end of the season, is part of that velocity and is part of it just figuring out how to pitch --

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I don't know, yeah, sure. Sometimes I just say stuff. I don't know. (Laughter). It just sounds better.

Q. This is a broader question about the team. Dave was just in here talking about what it took to get to 100 wins this year. Obviously a different team. A lot of holes to fill coming off last winter. Can you talk about how the organization was able to fill those holes, whether it was J.D., Jason in the outfield and even during the season with Amed and Yarbrough -- how the organization filled those holes and got to you this point again?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think a lot of guys stepped up, too. Obviously Mookie and Freddie, Will, Muncy, holdovers from last year performed the way they should. And when you add J.D. in the middle of the lineup, that's a pretty good 1-through-5 punch right there.

What we got from J-Hey and Peralta and from Outey this year, I don't know if it exceeded expectations but we were really impressed with what they did. And Miggy with his defense. So that's a 1-through-9 punch that's been really good.

And obviously we've had some rotation problems, injuries and things like that. So for these young guys to come up and pitch the way they did, you've got to give credit to the players, first of all. They all did an amazing job.

And then you've got to give credit to development guys, Andrew finding these pieces for us to get these guys ready to help us win in October has been pretty impressive to see.

That's what the Dodgers do, though. That's what they do as long as I've been here, we go and get players in the free agent market. We spend money. And then we have guys that are ready to come up from Triple-A and help us win games. So it's a pretty impressive thing when you look at it.