Clayton Kershaw to retire after 2025 season, ending legendary Dodgers career

Los Angeles — Clayton Kershaw will retire after the 2025 season, the Dodgers announced Thursday, ending a career that has defined an era in Los Angeles. The 37-year-old left-hander has spent his entire major league tenure with the Dodgers and leaves with a resume many consider first-ballot Hall of Fame material. Kershaw is slated to make his final regular-season Dodger Stadium start on Friday against the San Francisco Giants.

Drafted No. 7 overall in the 2006 draft out of high school, Kershaw rose to become one of the era’s defining pitchers. He has won three Cy Young Awards and made 11 All-Star appearances. In 2014, he produced one of the most dominant seasons in modern pitching history, posting a 1.77 ERA en route to the National League Cy Young and MVP honors. He helped power the Dodgers to World Series titles in 2020 and 2024, underscoring a long-running peak that spanned more than a decade.

Over 18 major league seasons, Kershaw compiled a 222-96 record with a 2.54 ERA and 3,039 strikeouts. He has remained a fixture at Dodger Stadium for most of his career, and in 2025 — his 18th season — he carries a 3.53 ERA across 20 starts this year. While the numbers reflect a sliding elastic line, they also show a pitcher who remained capable of high-level work deep into his 30s.

Dodgers owner Mark Walter issued a statement praising Kershaw’s career and his broader impact on the organization and the community. “On behalf of the Dodgers, I congratulate Clayton on a fabulous career and thank him for the many moments he gave to Dodger fans and baseball fans everywhere, as well as for all of his profound charitable endeavors,” Walter said. “His is a truly legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame.” The team noted that Kershaw’s influence extended beyond the mound, including philanthropic efforts that left a lasting imprint on countless lives.

While a specific farewell timetable beyond 2025 remains uncertain, Kershaw’s decision ends a remarkable run that saw him anchor a rotation that defined a generation of Dodgers teams. The announcement emphasizes the franchise’s intent to honor a player whose presence translated into sustained success, postseason moments, and a connection to fans that extended well beyond the ballpark.

As the Dodgers navigate the transition, attention will turn to how Kershaw’s legacy is remembered in the sport’s record books. He is universally regarded as among the best pitchers of his generation, and his career is widely expected to be recognized with Hall of Fame induction on the first ballot. The timing of his final regular-season start, scheduled for Friday, frames a potential calendar highlight as Los Angeles recognizes a career that has become inseparable from the Dodgers’ identity.

The baseball world will watch closely how the Dodgers celebrate Kershaw’s achievements in the weeks and months ahead, including potential postseason appearances and any ceremonial moments tied to his farewell season. For now, the emphasis remains on the completion of a 2025 campaign that, for a franchise and a fan base, will be remembered as the closing chapter of an era defined by a single, exceptional pitcher who defined two decades of Dodgers baseball.