Kershaw finally wins ring: 'They can't take that away'

Clayton Kershaw's long wait is over.

The Los Angeles Dodgers ace bolstered his Hall of Fame resume Tuesday, finally winning a World Series title.

"I feel pretty good, man" Kershaw said on Fox Sports moments after his club finished off the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6. "It's hard to describe. You know, you work so hard. We've been to the postseason - I've been to the postseason, and I've lost every single year. ... And now, to look up, I wish it was Dodger Stadium but it feels like it right now with all these Dodger fans around. To get to see how happy these fans are, they've been waiting a long time, too.

"I just have a lot of emotions right now and it's just a special feeling, man. World Series champs, they can't take that away."

Kershaw, 32, had been plagued by negative postseason narratives for the better part of his career. Entering the 2020 campaign, the three-time Cy Young winner had a 4.43 postseason ERA over 158 1/3 innings. In five starts during this year's playoffs, though, the eight-time All-Star went 4-1, authoring a 2.93 ERA over 30 2/3 innings.

"I don't care about legacy. I don't care about last year," Kershaw said, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "Those other years are done with. We won. Who cares about all that other stuff? It's all pointless. It doesn't matter. We won."

Kershaw has set a new all-time record for strikeouts in a postseason with 207. The former Triple Crown winner is one of two pitchers to reach the 200-strikeout plateau in the playoffs, joining Justin Verlander.

The left-hander has been a key part of the dominant Dodgers team that's won eight consecutive division titles, and he's delighted to have finally overcome the last hurdle.

"I'm so happy to be a part of it. I'm so happy to be on this team," Kershaw added, per Fox Sports. "It's a special group of guys ... I mean, we won a World Series. It feels good to say."

After this latest dominant season, Kershaw now owns a 2.43 career ERA and 175-76 record.