by Cary Osborne
Fitting that it was a cutter. And also fitting, it was a strikeout.
For Kenley Jansen, it’s a pitch and a result as rooted in Los Angeles as the palm trees that stand behind the bullpen at Dodger Stadium.
Jansen’s final pitch of the 2021 season struck out Austin Riley with runners on second and third base. After pitching a shutout eighth inning in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in Atlanta, the 12-year veteran backpedaled toward the Dodger dugout and patted his chest twice.
The only thing on his mind in the moment was a game that still could be won and a season that still could continue.
One inning later, the Dodgers’ season ended with a 4–2 loss to the Braves.
For a group of cornerstone Dodgers, including Jansen, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor, the future is now uncertain with each player’s contract expiring after the World Series.
The list of expiring contracts also includes a pair of future Hall of Famers in Albert Pujols and Max Scherzer.
While the game, a season of adversity and a gritty playoff run were foremost topics of discussion after the game, so was the reality of the future and its uncertainty.
“We have some guys that are free agents, and we all know who they are,” said manager Dave Roberts. “So potentially to not see those guys back, it’s sort of a changing of the guard if they’re not back. The six years that I’ve been here, it’s been a core group of guys that potentially could be turned over this winter. I’m not looking forward to it. I’m not looking forward to it. They’re great players and great men, and I wish we could have won another one with this group.”
Roberts said a couple of those players had the opportunity to address the team in the clubhouse after Saturday’s loss. What resonated heavily with Roberts was Pujols — a midseason pickup and one of the greatest hitters of all time — telling his teammates what a special group they are. The 21-year veteran made a difference like never before in his career, shifting from a full-time impact player to one of the best pinch-hitters in the game and a consistent producer against left-handed pitching.
Pujols got an opportunity to also play alongside two of the greatest Dodgers of all time in Kershaw and Jansen — who began his career catching Kershaw in the minor leagues.
“I’ve got to thank God for a great opportunity to have here as a Dodger,” Jansen said. “And I’m thankful to be here for all these years. This is the only team I know. They believed in me when I was 17 years old as a catcher and then they made me a pitcher. And they believed in me as a pitcher, and here I am now. So it happened fast, and I enjoyed this journey. I can always say whatever happens, I’m proud to be a Dodger and always will be a Dodger.”
A marker can be placed for this era of Dodger baseball — 2016.
That season, the Dodgers began a stretch of five trips to the National League Championship Series in six seasons.
That year, Seager took over as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop. The organization traded a former first-round pick in pitcher Zach Lee for 25-year-old utility player Chris Taylor. And Kershaw and Jansen were two of the most dominant pitchers in the game.
Taylor was awarded the prestigious Roy Campanella Award this season. The award is selected by uniformed personnel and is given to the most inspirational player on the Dodgers. He was selected to his first All-Star team this year and produced two of the most memorable games for a Dodger in a single postseason — hitting a walk-off homer in the Wild Card Game, then in Game 5 of the NLCS becoming the first player to hit three home runs in a potential elimination game.
“All I can say is I’ve loved every minute of being a Dodger,” Taylor said. “I have no idea what’s going to happen this offseason, but the last four seasons, five seasons I’ve been here it’s been amazing, and I’m so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to play for the Dodgers.”
Taylor’s postseason follows Seager’s legendary 2020 postseason when he was named the NLCS and World Series MVP.
Seager said it’s human nature to think of goodbyes. But he also said he hopes to return. The 27-year-old was the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2012, won the Rookie of the Year with the team in 2016 and just completed his seventh season with the club.
“I grew up here, and I’ve spent a lot of time here,” Seager said. “I believe in what these guys do. I believe in how we go about it.”
Kershaw never got the opportunity to pitch this postseason, getting shut down with a forearm injury after his final start on Oct. 1.
The 14-year veteran has been in the organization since 2006 when he was drafted in the first round. His influence has been felt by Dodger pitchers throughout his run — including a new ace: Walker Buehler.
After Saturday’s loss, Buehler echoed what Pujols said about this group and how the combination of talent and the human element made it a special group.
“It’s hard because we’re at this little crossroads,” Buehler said. “I hope everyone’s back, but that’s not the reality of the situation. And we’re going to have to build from within like we always do and bring some guys back.”
For a core group of Dodgers, the immediate feeling is thankfulness was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.