After a legendary career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw is calling it a career.
The Dodgers announced Thursday that Kershaw will retire at the end of the current season. He will make his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2025
Kershaw’s announcement does not necessarily come as a huge surprise. The 37-year-old has essentially handled his future on a year-to-year basis for the past several seasons, but had made it pretty clear he would not play for any franchise other than the Dodgers.
An 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2014 NL MVP, Kershaw is a sure-fire Hall of Famer once he becomes eligible in six years. He has a career record of 222-96 and a lifetime regular season ERA of 2.54. He notoriously struggled at times in the playoffs, but contributed to World Series winners in 2020 and 2024.
Despite his age and health concerns, Kershaw managed to be a major contributor to the Dodgers in 2025. He enters his next start Friday with an ERA of 3.53 in 20 starts, and he also notched his 3,000th career strikeout earlier this season.
The Dodgers are heading to the playoffs, so Friday will not necessarily mark Kershaw’s final career appearance at Dodger Stadium. The team’s postseason run might well be an emotional one as the team will want to try to send him out a winner.
