Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw plans to retire at the end of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, the Dodgers announced in a statement shared on Thursday (September 17), confirming that he would made his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday (September 18).
"Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, 2014 NL MVP and 11-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers will announce today that he will retire as a player at the end of the 2025. He will make his final Dodger Stadium regular season start on Friday," the Dodgers said.
"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 his profound charitable endeavors," said Dodgers owner Mark Walter in a statement obtained by ESPN. "His is a truly legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame."
Kershaw has spent his entire 18-year MLB career with the Dodgers, which includes two World Series championships, though he was limited to just seven starts during the later championship season last year. The 37-year-old rejoined Los Angeles' starting rotation in May, going 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 20 starts and becoming the 20th player in MLB history to record 3,000 career strikeouts in July.
Kershaw won the pitching Triple Crown in 2011 and led the NL in wins three times (2011, 2014, 2017), ERA five times (2011-14, 2017) and strikeouts three times (2011, 2013, 2015).