Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to hang up his pitching gloves after the 2025 season, announcing his retirement following 18 years in Major League Baseball.
Clayton Kershaw, the legendary left-hander for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The announcement, made during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, brings an end to a storied career that has seen Kershaw earn numerous accolades and leave an indelible mark on the sport.
Throughout his 18-year career, Kershaw has been a dominant force on the mound. He has been a three-time Cy Young Award winner (2011, 2013, and 2014), a former Most Valuable Player Award winner (2014), and a five-time ERA title winner. In 2011, at the age of just 23, Kershaw became the youngest pitcher to win the National Cy Young since Dwight Gooden in 1985.
Kershaw's contributions to the game have been estimated to be worth 77.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), according to Baseball Reference. This impressive figure ranks him among the most valuable players in MLB history. Kershaw also ranks fourth all-time among left-handed pitchers in career strikeouts, behind Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and CC Sabathia.
Kershaw's retirement will be marked by his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, where he will face off against the San Francisco Giants in a game with postseason implications for both teams. Manager Dave Roberts has stated that he trusts Kershaw and plans to have him on the Dodgers' postseason roster, should the team qualify.
Mark Walter, the owner of the Dodgers, congratulated Kershaw on his career and thanked him for his charitable endeavors. Walter also stated that Kershaw's career will likely lead to his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kershaw will be represented on his plaque by the Dodgers, the only team he played for during his entire MLB career.
Kershaw, who is 37 years old, was drafted by the Dodgers as the No. 7 pick in 2006. Over the course of his career, he has compiled a 2.54 ERA (154 ERA+) and a 4.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Kershaw has been an 11-time All-Star honoree and is considered one of the most storied pitching careers in recent memory.
The Dodgers' potential four-man postseason rotation could include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani. As Kershaw prepares for his final season, fans and analysts alike will be eager to see how he fares in his farewell tour and whether he can add another championship to his already illustrious career.
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