Clayton Kershaw takes mound at home in regular season one last time

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A roar of applause followed pitcher Clayton Kershaw as he walked off the mound tonight in his final regular season start at home in Dodger Stadium ahead of his recently announce retirement. 

Kershaw gave up two runs out of 91 pitches in the matchup against the San Francisco Giants before striking out Rafael Devers to close out the top of the 5th inning. He embraced teammates, shook hands with manager Dave Roberts, then blew kisses and mouthed words of appreciation to thousands of fans giving him a standing ovation as he walked to the dugout.

Shohei Ohtani followed up Kershaw's performance with a three run home run, and another homer by Mookie Betts would give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead by the end of the fifth inning. They would hold on to beat the giants with a final score of 6-3.

Kershaw had announced his retirement Thursday. With 11 All-Star selections, three Cy Young Awards and a World Series title to his name in 2020, he will go down as one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation.   

"I'm at peace with it,'' Kershaw told reporters before Thursday's game. "I think it's the right time and it's been such a fun year, it's been such a blast."  

Kershaw had toyed with the idea of retirement at the start of the season, doubling down on public desire to retire a Dodger.   

"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,'' he said before Spring Training. "You look at people throughout all of sports that have been able to do that, and it is special, it is. I don't want to lose sight of that. Getting to be here for my whole career, however long that is, is definitely a goal."  

On Thursday, Kershaw sent a group text to teammates letting them know the retirement announcement would be made public, according to third baseman Max Muncy.

"I know it's reality, but I still don't know that I believe it," Muncy told the Los Angeles Times. "For as long as I've been here, it's been 22."  

Longtime manager Dave Roberts gave Kershaw his flowers.   

"I think he's the greatest pitcher in this generation,'' he said before Thursday's game. "There's obviously a lot of great pitchers. I've just never been around a greater competitor. Very accountable, very consistent. He's made me better. And I think that we have grown together, so I feel fortunate to have been able to manage him and be around him for 10 years. He's earned this right to walk away at his choosing."  

The announcement initially came through the Dodgers' social media accounts, quickly followed by a statement from Dodgers owner Mark Walter.   

"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," Walter said. "His is a truly legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame."   

Before Thursday's game, Kershaw was the first player on the field, throwing to his son Charley.

The 37-year-old lefty began the season on the 60-day injured list to recover from left toe and left knee surgeries performed in November -- the same injuries that caused him to miss out on the second championship of his career in 2024.

He was the National League MVP in 2014. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and has amassed a record of 222-96 with a 2.54 earned-run average, according to Baseball Reference. He received the Roberto Clemente Award in 2012, given annually to the Major League Baseball player who ``best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team.''  

While as a younger man his fastballs could hit 98 MPH, Kershaw has long relied on ball movement to get batters to jump at shadows, using a deadly slider and curveball to his advantage.

Last month, he became one of only 20 pitchers in league history to record 3,000 strikeouts. Kershaw is the fourth southpaw to notch 3,000 Ks, joining Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson and CC Sabathia.

All but two of the eligible pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts are in the Hall of Fame. The exceptions are Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling.   

Following Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants and a possible start on the road against the Seattle Mariners next week, his role on the team becomes murky. Roberts told ESPN this week he felt there was "a place for him on our postseason roster,'' but with six healthy starting pitchers, it might come as a reliever, if at all.  

"I don't know what role, but I think that the bottom line is, I trust him. And so, for me, the postseason is about players you trust,'' Roberts said.   

His 18 years in Dodger blue make him one of the longest-tenured players with one team in the league's history, tying him with legends like Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh), Bob Feller (Cleveland), Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees), Edgar Martinez (Seattle) and Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia). He is the only active player with that lengthy of a resume, with four players who debuted in 2011 still playing for the same team.

He has the second-most wins among active players, behind only Justin Verlander.  

The Dodgers selected Kershaw with the seventh pick in the 2006 draft out of Highland Park High School in the Dallas suburb of University Park where he was also the center on the football team, quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford, now the Rams' quarterback.

Kershaw made his major league debut on May 25, 2008, against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, striking out the first batter he faced, Skip Schumaker.

Kershaw's top strikeout victim is Brandon Belt, who he struck out 30 times in 67 plate appearances between 2011 and 2020, all when Belt was with the San Francisco Giants.

This season, he has a 10-2 record with a 3.53 ERA.   

He and his wife, Ellen, have four children, with a fifth on the way.