Very few can go out the way Clayton Kershaw did. He is fresh off helping the LA Dodgers win the World Series to cap off a nearly two-decade career with the Dodgers.
However, there is one thing he can't let go of, and from his perspective, understandably so, per Bleacher Report/At Bat with Mookie Betts. During an appearance on his teammate Mookie Betts' podcast, Kershaw feels strongly that the Dodgers got robbed in the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros.
He didn't say in those terms, but was more subtle about it.
“There's an asterisk on that one,” he said.
Clayton Kershaw's take on 2017 World Series vs. Astros 👀
🚨 Watch the Dodgers' World Series tell-all episode: https://t.co/y9oCxgYbLv pic.twitter.com/wyvVdBAk99
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 7, 2025
Essentially, Kershaw was reflecting upon the last Game 7 he pitched in a World Series. The Dodgers ended up losing 5-1 and the series itself.
However, the legitimacy of the Astros' win was called into question after it was revealed they set up an elaborate sign-stealing system. Therefore, it compromised their title, and many of the personnel involved were sanctioned.
According to the record books, the Astros defeated the Dodgers. This isn't the first time Kershaw has spoken out about it.
In 2023, Kershaw said there needs to be a distinction between the Astros and other teams that stole signs. During the World Series, Blue Jays' slugger George Springer felt the wrath from Dodgers fans.
That's because he was the World Series MVP in 2017.
How the Dodgers were caught in the web of sign-stealing by other teams
It turns out that 2017 wasn't the first time the Dodgers fell victim to sign-stealing during a highly contested series.
In 1951, when they were in Brooklyn, the Dodgers were in a fierce battle with the then-New York Giants. Ultimately, the Giants came back from 13.5 games down to win 37 out of their last 44 games to tie the Dodgers in the NL standings.
That set up a three-game playoff. On Oct. 3, 1951, Bobby Thompson hit “The Shot Heard Round the World” to win the series for the Giants.
Years later, it was revealed that the Giants had used a sign-stealing system, with a telescope set up in the back of the Polo Grounds. As a result, it is easy to say that the Giants stole the pennant.
However, history has shown that argument to be inconclusive, considering the Giants' overall performance at the plate.
