Major League Baseball’s postseason is set to begin in a matter of weeks, and some of the league’s best and brightest will be on the game’s biggest stage. The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to repeat as World Series champions, and they’ll look to send one of their all-time greats out as a winner.
On Thursday, legendary Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced that he would be retiring at the end of the current season. The Dodgers’ last game this year will be Kershaw’s last, wherever it happens to fall in the playoffs.
The Dodgers announced that on Friday, Kershaw will make his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium in what’s sure to be an emotional moment for the team and its fans.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2025
One of the All-Time Greats Leaves the Game
Kershaw played his entire 18-season career with the Dodgers, winning two World Series titles and three National League Cy Young awards. He was even named the National League MVP for the 2014 season, one of only a handful of pitchers to accomplish that feat in baseball history.
The Dodgers drafted Kershaw out of high school in 2006, taking him seventh overall in that year’s draft. The Texan would make his major league debut two years later, and he’s been a member of the Dodgers’ rotation ever since.
Kershaw’s prime saw him lead the majors in ERA for four seasons in a row, culminating in his 2014 campaign that is regarded as one of the best pitching seasons of all time.
The latter half of Kershaw’s career has been defined by injury. He began to make fewer starts during the regular season, and the Dodgers would come close to winning the title but were unable to break through.
That changed during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when Kershaw helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first time in his career. He made five starts that postseason, going 4-1 and posting a 2.93 ERA en route to the title.
Kershaw’s Final Year as a Dodger
Kershaw was mostly along for the ride last season as the Dodgers won over the New York Yankees, but the title adds to his legacy as an all-time great. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a storied organization with some of the greatest players of all time, and Kershaw is certainly among them.
In what turned out to be his final season, Kershaw was able to turn back the clock and accomplish some incredible career milestones. He recorded his 3,000th career strikeout, made the All-Star team for the 11th time and has won 10 games in 20 starts.
The Dodgers will be among the favorites to win the World Series this year. If they can take home the title, it’ll be a fitting final act for one of their true franchise legends.
