This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw Clayton Kershaw make his final start at Dodger Stadium, fittingly against the San Francisco Giants.
Kershaw’s outing on Sept. 19, 2025, came one night after he announced plans to retire after that season.
With emotions running high, Kershaw he allowed a leadoff homer to Heliot Ramos on his third pitch of the game. After a scoreless second inning, Kershaw allowed a double to Matt Chapman and an RBI single to Wilmer Flores in the third that put the Giants up 2-1.
Kershaw then tossed a scoreless fourth and then took the mound once again in the fifth. After striking out Rafael Devers, Kershaw was taken out of the game, receiving a standing ovation from fans and players as he walked off the field. Teammates greeted Kershaw with hugs on the field.
Clayton Kershaw received a standing ovation as he walked off the field in his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/m21CreKlFi
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) September 20, 2025
The Dodgers wound up using a four-run fifth inning to earn a comeback win that clinched their spot in the 2025 postseason.
Kershaw made another start during that season, but it came on the road against the Seattle Mariners. He also made a relief in between those two games. Kershaw then wound up pitching twice out of the bullpen during the playoffs, which included getting a monumental out in extra innings against the Toronto Blue Jays during the marathon that was Game 3 of the World Series.
Clayton Kershaw’s Dodgers career
Kershaw spent all 18 seasons of his MLB career with the Dodgers after being drafted by the team with the seventh pick in the 2006 Draft.
The left-hander went on to become arguably the best pitcher of his generation, finishing with a 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 3,052 strikeouts across 2,855.1 innings pitched. Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts.
Other accolades included winning three World Series championships, one National League MVP and three Cy Young Awards. Kershaw also finished with one no-hitter to his name, which he achieved against the Colorado Rockies during the 2014 season.
Statistically it was one of the most dominant performances by a pitcher en route to throwing a no-hitter.
Upon retiring, Kershaw joined the Dodgers front office in a special assistant role and also was hired by NBC Sports as a baseball analyst.
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