Clayton Kershaw had a message for Los Angeles Dodgers fans after the final home regular season start of his career.
The Dodgers announced Thursday that Kershaw planned to retire at season’s end. With the Dodgers closing out their 2025 campaign on the road, Kershaw’s start Friday against the San Francisco Giants was his last regular season outing at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
After allowing a leadoff home run to Heliot Ramos, Kershaw settled in to help the Dodgers secure a playoff berth with a 6-3 win over the Giants. His final out came midway through the fifth inning on a generous low strikeout call against Rafael Devers.
Clayton Kershaw, forever a legend. pic.twitter.com/g7A5yVAIvp
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Kershaw saluted the crowd as the entire stadium gave him a standing ovation. The former NL MVP addressed the Dodger faithful after the contest.
“I think the only thing I can say right now is just thank you guys so much,” Kershaw said during his postgame interview. “Thank you for 18 years. It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but you guys have stuck with me. Thank you all so much. We’ve got another month to go.”
Clayton Kershaw’s emotional thank you to the fans at Dodger Stadium 🥹 pic.twitter.com/eqDqR4N0lf
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Kershaw debuted for the Dodgers in 2008 and quickly morphed into one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. He won three Cy Young awards in a four-year span from 2011 to 2014, capped off by his MVP season in 2014. MVP Kershaw was virtually unhittable, with a sterling 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 27 starts. He tallied a 21-3 record during that span.
The 37-year-old on Friday allowed two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts across 4.1 innings against the Giants. With the postseason just around the corner, Kershaw will have one final chance to exorcise his playoff demons.
The 11-time All-Star may no longer be the dominant force on the mound that he once was, but he’s still proven to be effective this season for an injury-stricken Dodgers rotation. Kershaw has a 3.55 ERA through 21 starts going into his final regular season start, a road game against the Seattle Mariners.
