Dodgers Icon Compares Team to Yankees of Old

Clayton Kershaw's legendary career finished with a bang. One of the great pitchers of our generation, and arguably one of the all-time greats in his own regard, watched as the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their second straight championship. It was the third of his career, after years of watching his teams struggle to climb the mountaintop before that pandemic-shortened season opened up the floodgates for this era of Dodgers baseball.

While on "Literally! with Rob Lowe," he discussed the topic of baseball dynasties and whether they're good for the sport. He compared it to those New York Yankees' teams of the 90s, who dominated baseball.

"I think that was the way the Yankees were," Kershaw told Lowe. "When I was growing up, the Yankees were the best team in the World Series and winning all those. But I think that's good for baseball. I really do. Having a team that you either love, because that's your team, or you hate because they keep winning, that's good for baseball. You don't want to be indifferent. I think it's good to have that. That's what viewership is. I think this postseason, obviously, with our Japan fanbase and being in Canada, it was the highest-watched postseason in a long time. So I think it's all good for baseball."

Comparing the Dodgers to the 90s Yankees

It's hard to disagree with Kershaw here. Despite the Toronto Blue Jays getting off to a hot start in game seven, the Dodgers powered back the way those Yankees of old did.

Bo Bichette's three-run blast against Shohei Ohtani, the once-in-a-generation two-way star whose only comparison is Babe Ruth at this point, would have been the death knell for most teams, especially on such a big stage. That wasn't the case with the Dodgers, though. They battled back until the bitter end, tying it in the ninth, and eventually winning in extras.

Much like those Toronto Maple Leafs, whose personality trait is blowing big games and never quite sealing their fate as champions, the Jays fell short. In their case, Miguel Rojas, an unexpected hero, took those dreams away.

That was also the case with those 90s Yankees. The Derek Jeters and Bernie Willaims of the world lead the championship charge, but they couldn't have done it without help.

There was Jimmy Key, who went 2-1 in four games with a 3.33 ERA in the 1996 postseason. Then you had Clay Bellinger, father of Cody Bellinger, one of this year's top free agent targets for the Yanks, robbing a home run in the 2000 World Series. Luis Sojo was another name. He went 6-15, across three different World Series, and always seemed to come through when the Yankees needed a big hit or needed a guy to get on base.

New York Yankees Luis Sojo 2000 World Serie — Oct 26, 2000; New York, NY, USA; Yankees Luis Sojo connects on his two rbi single in the ninth inning of the fifth game of the World Series at Shea Stadium in New York. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser/USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK

That's the thing about great teams like those Yankees and the current Dodgers. There were rarely any weak links, and every member of the roster held their own. Kershaw's comparison was spot on, on a few levels.

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