Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw officially announced on Thursday that he will retire following the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. “I’m at peace with it,” the 37-year-old said in his emotional press conference, adding that he thinks it is the right time.
Kershaw, known better as ‘Kersh’ to fans, has had a stellar 18-season career in the big leagues, pitching to a 2.54 Earned Run Average (ERA) with over 3,000 strikeouts across nearly 2,900 innings. Over his career, he became a three-time National League (NL) Cy Young Award winner, an 11-time All Star, the 2014 NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a two-time World Series Champion, accomplishing all with the Dodgers and becoming one of the best Left-Handed Pitchers (LHP) of all time.
He was drafted by the Dodgers with the seventh pick out of Highland Park High School in Texas during the 2006 MLB draft and made his major league debut on May 25, 2008 against the St. Louis Cardinals. After a rocky rookie season, Kershaw became the version of himself that took over the league for years to come. He did not have an ERA over three until the 2019 season, an almost 10 season span. During his incredible Cy Young Award winning 2014 campaign, Kershaw threw the only no-hitter of his career against the Colorado Rockies. During the near-perfect performance, he struck a career high 15 batters, with the only baserunner of the game allowed due to an error.
On July 2, 2025, Clayton Kershaw made history by becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000 strikeouts. He was able to do this in front of the home crowd in Los Angeles, reaching the mark on his final pitch of the evening. This accomplishment (along with the others throughout his career) likely cemented his forever home in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who has worked with Kershaw for the past 10 seasons, said that he knew about the retirement a couple weeks ago. Roberts shared that Kershaw messaged the ball club on Thursday morning to let his teammates know before the news dropped publicly.
At his press conference, Kershaw kept his message brief. He did not focus a lot on himself but instead on the people who have helped him succeed, saying “I have a lot of thank yous to get through,” before acknowledging teammates, coaches, trainers, clubhouse staff, ownership and his family. About the game of baseball itself, Kershaw said that he would be okay without it. He admitted that the hard part would be missing the feeling of a win and celebrating with his teammates, saying, “that’s pretty special.”
Through it all, Kershaw kept the main goal in mind of bringing another World Series Championship to Los Angeles. He put it best early into his press conference, saying “We still have a lot to accomplish, obviously, this month, and the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to anybody for accomplishing our ultimate goal, to win in the last game of the season.” Nothing would cap off his legendary career more perfectly than riding into retirement with one final championship, a true storybook ending.
The Los Angeles Dodgers posted on their official Instagram account urging fans to arrive at the ballpark early during the weekend to celebrate the career of Clayton Kershaw. On Friday, Sept. 19, Kershaw made his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium against the rival that he has dominated for 18 years in the San Francisco Giants. Saturday marked the final bobblehead night of Kershaw’s career. Finally, on Sunday, Kershaw will address the fans before the game in what will likely be a very emotional and heartfelt moment.
Kershaw was the spark of the Dodgers for his entire 18-season career, quickly becoming the team’s ace, and later on becoming a leader in the clubhouse. He was the rock for the team and helped them reach the playoffs 14 times, being an integral part of their 2020 World Series Championship run.
As one of the greatest pitchers not just of his era but in all of baseball history, Kershaw’s No. 22 will likely never be worn by another Dodger again, with a bronze statue outside Dodger Stadium sure to follow. He will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame starting in 2031, where he will almost certainly be a first-ballot inductee.
It was a gift for all baseball fans to be able to witness the career of Clayton Kershaw. And as the late Vin Scully once said, “Clayton Kershaw, the best they have.”
