Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to retire at end of season
By David Close, CNN
(CNN) — One of baseball’s very best is set to hang up his cleats.
Clayton Kershaw, the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner for the Los Angeles Dodgers, will retire as a player at the conclusion of the 2025 season, according to the team.
The 18-year pro won two World Series rings with the club that drafted him seventh overall in the 2006 player draft. The Texan has spent his entire career with the Dodgers.
The left-handed hurler, winner of 222 games, is set to start again on Friday versus the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium and will be expected to pitch during the upcoming postseason, as Los Angeles is expected to secure a playoff spot in the coming days.
“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,” Dodgers owner Mark Walter said in a Thursday statement. “His is a truly legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
The lefty is an 11-time All-Star who has thrown 15 career shutouts. His record of 222-96 (.698) ranks him first in wins among active MLB pitchers.
In February, the 37-year-old remarked how special it was to have been with one franchise throughout.
“I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times, what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career,” Kershaw said ahead of the 2025 season. “You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it is special, it is.”
In July, Kershaw became the 20th pitcher and the fourth left-hander ever to reach 3,000 strikeouts in MLB history. He currently owns 3,039 K’s.
Kershaw has made an impact off the diamond as well, having won MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award in 2012, which is given annually to a player who best represents the game through community involvement and philanthropic efforts.
The-CNN-Wire
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