Clayton Kershaw is bringing his stellar career to an end. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday that the starting pitcher will retire at the end of the 2025 season.
Kershaw, who has spent his entire career with the Dodgers, retires after 18 years in the league. Kershaw will make his final regular-season start in Dodger Stadium on Friday, per the team.
“On behalf of the Dodgers, I congratulate Clayton on a fabulous career and thank him for the many moments he gave to Dodger fans and baseball fans everywhere, as well as for all of his profound charitable endeavors. His is truly a legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Dodgers owner Mark Walter said in a statement.
The 37-year-old lefty has been well-decorated throughout his career, earning three Cy Young awards (2011, 2013 and 2014) and 11 All-Star nods, including this season. He was NL MVP in 2014 after an incredible season that included a no-hitter that June.
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Kershaw earned a World Series championship with the Dodgers in 2020, pitching in Games 1 and 5 of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays. In July, he became one of 20 MLB pitchers to hit 3,000 strikeouts.
Friday will be Kershaw’s 21st start this season, with the veteran pitching 102 innings this season. He had a 3.53 ERA so far in 2025, with 71 strikeouts.
Kershaw, who has spoken about his ability to stay with one team for the entirety of his career, will retire as a Dodger with just enough ceremony before the end of the season.
“I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times, what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career,” Kershaw said ahead of the season, via MLB.com. “You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it is special, it is. I don’t want to lose sight of that.”
The future Hall of Famer heads into Friday’s matchup with 3,039 career strikeouts across 2,844 2/3 innings pitched, with a career ERA of 2.54.
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The Dodgers currently lead the NL West, and are close to clinching a playoff spot with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
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