After nearly two decades with the Los Angeles Dodgers, future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw is retiring from Major League Baseball at the end of the 2025 season. He made the announcement on Thursday afternoon through a statement released by the team.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2025
Kershaw's scheduled start at Dodger Stadium on Friday will be his last regular-season outing — and fittingly enough, it'll come against the rival San Francisco Giants. Beyond that, it's unclear when or if we might see him on the mound in a Dodgers uniform again; his status for the team's postseason roster is unclear at the moment given L.A.'s glut of pitching options.
But what's beyond dispute is that Kershaw is one of the best pitchers of this, or any, generation.
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Clayton Kershaw leaves behind a titanic legacy in MLB
The 37-year-old lefty has stacked up significant accolades throughout his 18-year career: He’s won an MVP award, three Cy Young awards, a Triple Crown, a Gold Glove and is an 11-time All-Star while winning five ERA titles. He's thrown 2,844.2 innings in all, while posting a 2.54 ERA and 3,039 strikeouts.
But what Kershaw has done in 2025 has been some of his most impressive work yet. After battling several injuries just to get back on the mound at all, he's put up a 3.53 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 102 innings. He’s been one of the most dependable starters for the Dodgers' injury-ravaged rotation, and in August, he recorded a 1.88 ERA while going 5-0. He may not have the same stuff he had earlier in his career – his 89 mph fastball is in the second percentile in velocity league-wide – but he has still effectively and consistently gotten hitters out.
Kershaw gone through the last few seasons on a year-to-year basis as he has mulled retirement. He recently told Dude Perfect: “Every offseason Ellen and I sit down and try to figure out next year. Get through the season, figure out how everybody’s doing and how we’ll go from there. I’m sure we’ll do that again this offseason.”
In retirement, Kershaw has not ruled out the possibility of coaching. But that won’t happen for a few years, he said, as he prioritizes being a husband and father to his two children.