Clayton Kershaw Retiring by Rylan Minniefield

At the end of the 2025 MLB season, Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw announced that he's going to retire. This marks the end of one of the best baseball careers to ever take place. Kershaw has played 18 seasons in the MLB, all of them with the Dodgers. Kershaw is leaving the mound as one of the greatest pitchers of this generation, as well as one of the greatest left-handers in the history of the sport.

A Career Built on Excellence

From his debut in 2008 until now, Kershaw has built a resume that's completely out of this world. He finishes with a 222-96 regular-season record, which gives him a .698 winning percentage. This is the highest winning percentage for pitchers with at least 200 wins since the year 1900. Kershaw's ERA is pretty great as well, being 2.54, which is among the top in the live-ball era. His ERA is amazing considering the total number of innings that he pitched in his career.

Kershaw didn't just simply win baseball games, as he was also able to win a lot of awards. He is a three-time National Cy Young Award winner (2011, 2013, 2014) and the NL MVP back in 2014. Kersh has also made a total of 11 All-Star appearances, which is absolutely mind-blowing, demonstrating that he was always an amazing pitcher.

He also joins the 3,000+ strikeouts club, making him the 20th pitcher to join the club. He's only the fourth left-hander to reach that great achievement. 

Postseason and World Series

Early on in his career, he faced criticism over his postseason numbers, but he was able to finally turn it around. Kershaw helped lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series in 2020 and 2024, making him a 2-time World Series champion. While Clayton Kershaw's injuries limited his appearances in the 2024 postseason, he made major contributions in the 2020 postseason. 

Respect, Character, and Legacy

While Kershaw excelled on the field, he was also beloved off the field due to his exceptional character. Several teammates and opponents have spoken about Kershaw's leadership, work ethic, and humility. He was always loyal, as he stayed with only one franchise in his entire career. He also always put the team first rather than himself. 

Clayton was also able to balance his life off the mound. He was grounded in family, generous in charity, as well as clearly thoughtful about when and how to step away from the game that he loves. When he made the announcement that he was going to retire, he said that he was at peace with that decision. He wants to spend more time with his wife, Ellen, and their children, and he wants to walk away on his own terms.

Final Thoughts

Clayton Kershaw's career is one of the best we have ever seen in baseball, which is why he will inevitably be in the Hall of Fame. With all of his statistics, championships, and his overall reputation for being as good a person as he was a pitcher, the case for him is closed. He will be with all of Cooperstown's greats once he's eligible. Clayton Kershaw will go down in the history books as a legend.