Major League Baseball honored the 18-season career of pitcher Clayton Kershaw Thursday after the Dodgers announced the three-time Cy Young Award winner will retire at the end of the season.
Kershaw is scheduled to make his final Dodger Stadium regular season start on Friday against the rival San Francisco Giants. Entering Thursday, Los Angeles held a 2.5 game lead over the Padres for first place in the NL West.
Kershaw endeared himself to Dodgers fans and fans of the game over 18 MLB seasons, all with the Dodgers. On Thursday, MLB said in a post on X, “Thank you Clayton Kershaw.”
MLB also posted a video of Kershaw pitching through the years. He made his Major League Baseball debut on May 25, 2008 against he St. Louis Cardinals. Kershaw pitched six innings, struck out seven and allowed two runs in the Dodgers’ 4-3 extra innings win.
He was 20 years and 67 days old.
Kershaw’s illustrious MLB career began when he was drafted No. 7 overall by the Dodgers in 2006. He went on to a career record of 222-96 with 15 shutouts, ranking first in both categories among active big leaguers. His 2.54 career ERA is the lowest in the Live Ball Era, dating to 1920.
He is tied with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most years in as a Dodgers in franchise history.
The Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, posted an emoji-powered tribute.
Kershaw earned respect around the league during his nearly two-decade career. He struggled through injuries in recent years and began this season on the injured list, recovering from offseason surgery.
Kershaw also contributed to the Los Angeles community off the field through community projects and philanthropy. In 2012, he won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.
Kershaw won World Series titles with Los Angeles in 2020 and 2024.
