Clayton Kershaw is experiencing his first offseason without any baseball-related responsibilities after ending his career as a World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.
An 18-year veteran with the Dodgers, Kershaw dedicated a large portion of his life to the game each year. Each season takes around seven months to complete, and then possibly another month or two, depending on how long a team’s postseason run lasts.
Kershaw and the Dodgers have also played more baseball than most because of their 13-year playoff streak.
During an appearance on “Literally” with Rob Lowe, the future Hall of Famer said he is enjoying the freedom that comes with retirement while still feeling melancholic about no longer being on the mound:
“To be fair, I haven’t done Spring Training in a while. I’ve missed like the last three. I think it’s going to be so great when December rolls around and, ‘Man, I need to pick up a baseball and see if my arm still works. Oh wait, no. I really don’t. I don’t have to do that anymore.’ I think just the freedom of that is really exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to miss it like crazy. I think the hardest thing is going to be Opening Day and turning on the game. Just not being there. I haven’t missed an Opening Day in 18 years.”
Being drafted out of high school by the Dodgers in the 2006 MLB Draft, Kershaw has been playing professionally since he was 18 years old. He is now positioned to reap the rewards of his professional career in the next chapter of his life.
If the time away from baseball ever becomes too much for him, Kershaw could always accept the open invitation to join the Dodgers’ front office. He turned down the offer following his retirement in the interest of spending more time with his family after 18-years of being consistently on the move.
Kershaw could also look to a career in broadcasting, and NBC is working to make that happen.
Ellen and Clayton Kershaw welcome fifth child
Part of the reason that Kershaw wished to spend more time with his family was the arrival of his fifth child.
Chloe Peach Kershaw was born on Dec. 19, Clayton announced on Instagram. “Meet Chloe Peach Kershaw, who joined our crew and arrived on December 19th! She’s perfect and her brothers and sister are obsessed with her. We are grateful for the gift of her life!” he wrote.
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