Clayton Kershaw officially retired after winning a third World Series championship in his 18th season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The left-hander made only two playoff appearances last year but had a signature moment against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series.
He entered in the top of the 12th and got Nathan Lukes to ground out with the bases loaded to keep the score tied at 5-5. The Dodgers went on to defeat the Blue Jays, 6-5, in 18 innings.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman helped recover the ball that Kershaw used and he ended up receiving it as a Christmas gift, via Andy McCullough of The Athletic:
Friedman also helped facilitate one last memento for Kershaw.
Kershaw’s final appearance in the majors came in Game 3 of the World Series. He arrived with two outs and the bases loaded in the 12th inning of a tied game. He managed to induce a grounder to escape the jam in an eventual 18-inning victory. The baseball, though, was tossed into the stands. The fan who caught it eventually reached out to Friedman. The ball made its way to Kershaw’s home in Dallas, where Ellen gave it to her husband for Christmas.
“No authentication or anything — but it looks like the real ball,” he said. “So I’m going to keep it.”
No one knew at the time that Game 3 of the World Series would be Kershaw’s final appearance with the Dodgers, so the ball was innocently thrown into the stands.
The fan who caught it made things right by having the baseball sent to Kershaw, who now has a keepsake from his final MLB appearance.
Kershaw recently said that the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series run felt like a fairy tale and he is honored to have helped them repeat as champions.
Clayton Kershaw part of Team USA roster in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Although he is now retired, Kershaw will pitch at least one more time in a competitive setting as he was named to the Team USA roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Kershaw was extended the opportunity to pitch in the international tournament by Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and he felt it was too good to pass up.
Pitching in the WBC is the one thing that has eluded Kershaw, and he will now get the chance to add a gold medal to his Hall of Fame résumé.
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