Clayton Kershaw is aware that his window to compete for a championship might be closing.
The left-hander is in his 12th season with the Dodgers and says the pressure to win a World Series grows with each passing year.
"Who knows how long I'm going to get to play this game, and who knows how long I'm going to get to play here? It's a special thing, to get to go to the postseason seven years in a row and nine years out of however many years I've played, and realize that you don't get this opportunity often to try to win 11 games," Kershaw told reporters Thursday ( via ESPN.com ). "Grateful, but also, with each passing year, maybe a little more urgency, for sure."
Kershaw, 31, will start in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Friday and appreciates every opportunity he gets to play meaningful baseball.
"Every year that you make the postseason, you realize that it's one less year on your career, one less year that you have a chance to win, so you become more grateful and more appreciative every single time you get a chance to win the World Series," Kershaw said.
Kershaw has been vital to the Dodgers' 106 wins this season, notching a 16-5 record with a 3.03 ERA in 2019.
But the eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner is still chasing the ultimate prize.
"There's just the pressure to win the World Series," Kershaw said. "That's what the Dodgers means. We expect to win the World Series every single year, regardless of what's happened in years past. This season's no different with that."
Los Angeles has reached the last two World Series but lost each time. It's looking to end a 31-year title drought.
The Dodgers hold a 1-0 lead over the Nationals after a 6-0 victory in the NLDS opener on Thursday.