When you think of greatness on the mound over the past 20 years, you probably think of Clayton Kershaw. Whether it was his signature windup or his iconic curveball, the longtime Dodgers ace has been the best starting pitcher of his generation. And after 18 seasons in L.A., Kershaw announced Thursday that he intends to retire at the end of the 2025 season. He will make his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw’s career has been marked by consistent excellence, and the numbers speak for themselves. The Dodgers’ southpaw is a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner. He has been named an All-Star 10 times. He won the ERA title five times and led the NL in strikeouts three times. He won the pitching Triple Crown and a Gold Glove in 2011. He threw a no-hitter and won the NL MVP Award in 2014. And, not to be forgotten, he’s a two-time World Series champion.
Kershaw captured the last crowning achievement of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career in July, notching his 3,000th career strikeout against the Chicago White Sox. He is the 20th member of the illustrious club and just the fourth left-hander. But perhaps this stat tells it best: Since the mound was lowered in 1969, no qualified MLB starter has a lower career ERA than Kershaw’s 2.51.
When Kershaw came into the league as a 20-year-old in 2008 — naturally, he struck out the first batter he faced, Skip Schumaker of the Cardinals — baseball had many Hall of Fame workhorses, such as CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay. And from the time he debuted, Kershaw took that baton from the legends who came before him and ran with it for 18 years.
Of all his accomplishments and awards, what will define Kershaw’s career — one that will almost certainly be honored in Cooperstown in 2031 — will be the consistent dominance he displayed for almost 20 years. Kershaw has been the true definition of a generational talent. He has recorded a sub-3.00 ERA in 13 of his 18 seasons, including three seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA. Even this season, at the age of 37, the Dodgers’ left-hander has a 3.53 ERA in 102 innings. He has been a stabilizer in the team’s rotation as they’ve gotten healthier over the course of the year. Given those numbers, Kershaw could’ve chosen to pitch for another season or more, but it seems he wanted to finish strong with the team that drafted him.
Throughout their storied history as a franchise, the Dodgers have employed many remarkable players, including some of the best pitchers ever. That list includes Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, Fernando Valenzuela and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who is considered by most one of the best pitchers to ever pick up a baseball. Over the past 18 years, Kershaw has emphatically added his name to that roster, building his legacy start by start.
Beyond the numbers, spending an entire career with one organization in this day and age is something that should be celebrated. For 18 seasons, Kershaw has donned Dodger Blue. There were times when it seemed he might depart as a free agent, perhaps to return to his native Texas, but over the past several seasons, he became increasingly vocal about his desire to remain in L.A. Many legends of the game have that same desire, but it isn’t always something that comes to fruition. Fortunately for Dodgers fans, the team was able to make that happen. And now Kershaw might represent one of the last MLB players to spend his entire career with one franchise.
With 10 days left in the regular season, the Dodgers’ postseason future is unknown, along with their postseason starting pitching plans. As such, Kershaw’s start on Friday could be the last time we see No. 22 on the mound at Dodger Stadium. So as the Dodgers gear up for another postseason run, you can rest assured that the other 25 players in L.A.’s clubhouse are going to try to make it a truly storybook ending for their ace.
