Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw hopes to avenge playoff loss to San Diego Padres next year: "I'm hopeful we'll see them in October again"

Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the 2022 postseason by the San Diego Padres. Losing to a division rival in the playoffs is a brutal way to end your season, and Kershaw already wants to avenge the loss. This undoubtedly left a bad mark on the year for Dodgers fans, despite a 111-win regular season.

A good rivalry is great for baseball, and the two West Coast teams are some of the best. Not only are they geographically close, both teams are championship contenders looking to win it all. Kershaw understands how important this rivlary is to the fans and why they want to win so badly.

Matthew Moreno shared the comments from the star pitcher via Twitter.

"I'm hopeful we'll see them in October again" - Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw has been one of the top pitchers in the MLB for the better part of a decade and wants to end his career as a winner. 2023 will be the sixteenth season of his career, all spent with the Dodgers. He is very familiar with the rivalry between the Padres and Dodgers and wants to be on the winning side next postseason.

He also weighed in on the strength of the division, in a quote posted to Twitter by Matther Moreno.

"Obviously the Padres have made a ton of moves and they're going to be a great team. The Giants are obviously getting better too" - Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw knows that the path to the postseason will not be easy next season, especially given the upgrades made by their rivals. The National League West has a chance to become the most competitive division in baseball next year.

Clayton Kershaw is still one of the top pitchers in baseball

World Series - Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game One

While Clayton Kershaw may be nearing the end of his career, he is still capable of being dominant on the mound. Fellow pitcher Justin Verlander has been proving that pitchers can last longer in the league now than in past generations.

In 2022, Kershaw pitched for an ERA of 2.28, better than his career average and also netted the ninth All-Star selection of his illustrious career. The playoffs may not have gone the way the Dodgers hoped, but nobody can take away their dominant regular season.

This highlight package posted to YouTube encapsulates his great 2022 campaign.

If the Dodgers are able to surpass the Padres next season, Kershaw will be a crucial reason why.