Oct. 7 Clayton Kershaw postgame interview
Q. Clayton, Don talked about how much you wanted to do this tonight and wanted to know what types of alterations you had to make over the last few days in your routine and just how much you wanted to do this under different circumstances?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I don't want to get into specifics about anything, but I think just the thing I want to reiterate is this is the Postseason. I don't want to take it for granted. I might never get to do this again.
So if Donnie wanted me to pitch tomorrow, I would. This is the Postseason. All that other preparation, is he going to be ready, is your arm going to be tired? Throw that out the window. It doesn't matter. You just go. It's a one‑month sprint and I'm looking forward to the next couple games.
Q. I don't want to make too much of this. Did you feel any different because of the one‑day shortened rest?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: It's tough to say. I don't know. I mean, I think maybe, but once the game started, no. So all that other stuff leading up to it is probably a little different because it's obviously a different routine. Once the game started, it felt the same.
Q. How did the arm feel as the game went on and the pitches started getting more and more? Did you want to stay in the game?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Yeah. I mean, I don't want to beat a dead horse, but you don't ever want to come out of a game. You don't ever want to not pitch. Ultimately it's not my decision, but I'm never going to say I'm not ready. That's just not what you do.
Q. Don said he had talked to you about this or you had all talked about this before the season ever ended. Can you tell us how that ‑‑
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I don't want to. No, I can't. I'm good.
Q. When you guys clinched the division in Arizona, how would you compare the celebration and the joy you guys felt then compared to what you're going through now?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Yeah, I think it's more of the same. People make a big deal about celebrations and what's appropriate and what's not. But just talking with some veteran guys, I think anytime you get a chance to celebrate with your team, regardless if it's winning the division or winning a series, whatever it is, you take advantage of that. There's a handful of guys that have never gotten to do that before.
So it's such a special thing. I guess comparing it to Arizona we get to do it in front of our home fans and they stuck around. They want it just as much as we do. It was a special night to get to do it here in LA. Hopefully we can do a couple more two more times.
Q. Can you share just how special of a story Juan Uribe is especially from where he came from last year and the year before till now?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Regardless what Juan did the past two years, Juan has been, I think consensus, he's probably been the most liked teammate we have. He's an incredible guy. He's always the same no matter what. You couldn't tell if he's 1 for 30 or 30 for 30. The way he plays, I just couldn't be happier for him. I love him to death. He's just ‑‑ it just feel goods for him to do that.
Q. We saw you celebrating with the fans after the game around the park. Can you describe the emotions and the connection that you players have with the fans in Los Angeles?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I think it goes back to that earlier. You just never know when you're going to get to do it again. The fans are a part of this tonight. They were loud. They were there the whole night. They stuck around after the game. Yeah, we haven't won anything yet, but it definitely feels good to get to celebrate. You never want to pass those moments up. It was a special night.
Q. I know it's a team game, but can you talk about your feelings after you leave the game, it's tied, and then Atlanta takes the lead and just your emotions through that and with Uribe, his home run?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Yeah, that's baseball. I think the Braves did a great job. I tip my cap to that team. I have a ton of respect for that team. They play the game the right way, and there are so many guys over there that I just have a tremendous amount of respect for. They're going to make a run at it. They were not going to go down easy. They fought us the whole way through and it came down to one basically.
Q. You're one of the few guys left from the teams that went to the playoffs in, was it '08,'09?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Yeah.
Q. The intervening years, what sort of appreciation do you think of just the change in ownership and just the expectations and what's possible? Does that mean more to you?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: No, I don't really care about expectations. I don't care about all that stuff. The playoffs is ‑‑ I think I took it for granted a little bit. My first two years I kind of just thought that always happened, I guess. I'd always getting to. The last three years of not getting to go really taught me to embrace this opportunity. It kind of goes into what I'm saying all along. You never know when this is going to happen again. You've just got to enjoy it, savor it.
Q. It looked like you had a really cool moment in the clubhouse with Sandy Koufax. Can you share a little bit of what he said to you?
CLAYTON KERSHAW: I mean, he's just happy for us. Sandy is such a great guy. I think he genuinely cares about not only this team but kind of our well being. He cares about us. That's awesome. I have a great relationship with him. I have a ton of respect for him. To get a hug and get a good job from a guy like that, from a guy that's been there, from a guy that's done this before and was the best at it for a long time is pretty special.