Clayton Kershaw taking shot at Astros should motivate Dodgers to win '24 World Series

Clayton Kershaw is unfortunately unable to help his teammates on the field during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2024 postseason run, but as a man with plenty of October experience, he can remain a motivator despite being on the sidelines.

A toe injury ended Kershaw's campaign, but he's adamant about playing again in 2025. It's unclear if that will be with the Dodgers, but all that matters is that he's here, right now.

Kershaw, though he hasn't been himself in recent seasons, is still a Dodgers legend and everything he says and does will hold considerable meaning. That's why fans think his most recent comments were strategically employed to motivate his team and the fanbase.

Much of the talk over the last few days has focused on Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts as they have lit the Dodgers offense on fire en route to a 3-2 NLCS lead against the New York Mets, with the final two contests coming in LA.

Kershaw was asked about Ohtani and Betts as 1-2-punch presence, and the future Hall of Famer tried to think if he's faced any comparable duo. He thought about it for a moment and realized he had ... but then invalidated their impact. Have the 2017 Houston Astros ever come up that naturally in a conversation?

Clayton Kershaw motivates Dodgers players, fans with critical Astros comments

Astros fans are particularly bothered by this, especially because they're feeling extra childish after being eliminated in the Wild Card round against a red-hot and inexperienced Detroit Tigers team. No trash cans this year, and the result was their worst since 2016! Look at that.

There's no doubt Kershaw still feels a certain way about that World Series. The 2017 Dodgers were a wagon and took Houston to the brink in Game 7 but came up short. Later, it was revealed the Astros orchestrated an illegal sign-stealing scandal that definitely compromised the 2017 campaign and possibly the 2018 and 2019 seasons, too.

Kershaw, Kiké Hernandez, Walker Buehler, Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes still remain from that roster and would certainly love to avenge that heartbreaking loss with a full-season World Series in 2024. The Dodgers have defied the odds this year despite being decimated by injuries and need every last push they can get as they're one game away from the Fall Classic awaiting a tough AL matchup.

Kershaw is never one to stir the pot, but something tells us he knew what he was doing here. The more the Dodgers can harness that "edge" to propel their postseason run, the better. And some Astros tears along the way never hurt anybody.