Kershaw to retire after 2025 season; Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to end 18-year Dodgers tenure

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will retire at the end of the 2025 season, the franchise announced Thursday, bringing to a close a storied 18-year run that began with his MLB debut in 2008. He is set to make Friday’s start at Dodger Stadium his last regular-season appearance, the team said, leaving open the possibility of a finish in the postseason if the Dodgers advance.

Kershaw leaves behind a resume that places him among the most accomplished pitchers of his era. The left-hander has spent all 18 major-league seasons in Los Angeles, guiding the Dodgers to World Series titles in 2020 and 2024. He has been among the game’s most durable and dominant pitchers when healthy, earning three Cy Young Awards and collecting 11 All-Star selections over a career defined by elite run prevention and occasional, hallmark performances on the mound. His 2.54 ERA in the live-ball era (since 1920) is the best among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched, a mark that stands out in a high-scoring era that challenged many eras themselves. Earlier this season, Kershaw joined the 3,000-strikeout club, a rare milestone shared by a handful of pitchers who have shaped the modern game.

Among the highlights, Kershaw led the National League in ERA five times, a stretch that included the 2011 through 2014 seasons. His best single-season effort is widely considered 2014, when he posted a 1.77 ERA, recorded six complete games, authored a league-leading 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.86 WHIP, and captured the Most Valuable Player Award. He remains the last Dodgers pitcher to be named MVP.

The 2015 season marked a turning point in the durability of his career, as injuries limited him to fewer than 30 starts in several later seasons. Still, when on the mound, Kershaw’s combination of refinement, deception and command underscored his reputation as one of the game’s most consistently effective starters across two decades. He has finished in the top 10 of Cy Young voting in multiple seasons beyond his MVP year and was named an All-Star 11 times, including an exemption this past season granted by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

As the Dodgers push toward another NL West title, Kershaw’s impending departure adds an undeniable chapter to a franchise that has built much of its recent success around his presence. While the team remains viable as a championship contender, his retirement will mark the end of an era for a franchise that relied on him as a cornerstone from his very first major-league appearance. His legacy is defined not only by the numbers—three Cy Young Awards, 3,000 strikeouts and a lifelong Dodgers tenure—but also by the leadership he displayed during a generation of players coming through Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have benefited from a long arc of Kershaw’s career, including their 2020 and 2024 World Series runs, and his presence on the staff will be missed beyond the stat line. As he approaches the end of this season, the organization and its fan base will reflect on a pitcher who became synonymous with the Dodgers’ quest for sustained excellence. If the team continues to contend, the remaining weeks of 2025 will function as a farewell tour of sorts for a pitcher who helped define an era in Dodger blue.

The road ahead for Kershaw also includes a potential final postseason push, should the Dodgers secure a playoff berth. Regardless of how October unfolds, his career has already cemented his place among the franchise’s most influential players and among the elite in baseball history. For Dodgers fans and baseball historians alike, the forthcoming conclusion of his season will be noted as the closing of a chapter that shaped generations of fans and redefined what a modern ace can be.