An Appreciation of Clayton Kershaw’s Incomparable Legacy
Dodgers fans have been watching one of the best pitchers in baseball history. It’s been nearly two decades of Clayton Kershaw constantly showing up.
That’s why when he finally announced that this season would be his last, the decision didn’t shock anyone. His body has endured plenty, and retirement talk has circled for years. The Dodgers’ anchor for 18 seasons is stepping away. His career has earned a place few pitchers ever reach.
A Career Full Of Milestones
Kershaw’s numbers alone put him in the Hall of Fame conversation well before he retired. His three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and 11 All-Star appearances established him as one of the most dominant arms of his generation. He also became the only pitcher to lead Major League Baseball in ERA for four consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2014.
The statistics are staggering. His career ERA sits at 2.54, the second lowest of the live-ball era among pitchers with at least 1,500 innings. He recorded his 3,000th strikeout earlier this summer, joining a club with only 19 other pitchers. His .698 career winning percentage ranks highest among pitchers with 300 or more starts since 1900. But the stats only tell part of the story.
His influence in Los Angeles stretched past the pitching mound. The Dodgers’ run of 11 division titles in 12 seasons and two World Series championships reflected his daily presence.
The Final Farewell Begins
When Kershaw stepped onto the Dodger Stadium mound for his last regular-season home start, the stage belonged to him. His teammates let him jog out alone so the 50,000 fans in attendance could shower him with a standing ovation.
The game itself matched the night. Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos opened with a leadoff homer, but Kershaw regrouped and struck out six across 4 1/3 innings. It showed that even at 37, his competitive fire remained. After the Dodgers rallied to win, he stood on the field with a microphone, thanking fans who had supported him for nearly two decades.
Retirement doesn’t end the season. The Dodgers clinched their 13th straight postseason berth, and there’s still a chance Kershaw pitches in October again.
The Complicated October Story
Kershaw’s playoff history has long been debated. A career 4.49 postseason ERA across 39 appearances looks jarring compared with his regular-season mark. Seven of those playoff starts ended with five or more runs allowed, including his outing against Arizona two years ago, when he gave up six runs before recording two outs.
That reputation followed him, but context matters. Managers often stretched him deeper into games than they should have. In the 2014 NLDS, Don Mattingly left him on the mound with a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning. Instead of pulling him at the first sign of trouble, Kershaw faced seven batters, and the Cardinals flipped the game upside down. Days later, on short rest, he returned for another start and gave up a three-run homer to Matt Adams in the seventh. The Dodgers lost the series.
Alongside the rough outings came postseason gems. In Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, he struck out 11 Astros across seven innings of one-run baseball. He returned in Game 7 on short rest and tossed four scoreless innings in relief. Back in 2015, he pitched seven innings of one-run baseball against the Mets to keep the Dodgers alive. In all, he logged seven playoff starts of at least seven innings while allowing one run or fewer.
Labelling Kershaw a playoff failure won’t hold up. His October résumé is complicated, partly because he wasn’t the same pitcher in October as in the summer, but he certainly wasn’t the caricature critics made him out to be.
More Than A Dodger
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Arturo Pardavila III
Kershaw’s spent his entire career with one team–the Dodgers. Early on, he admitted he didn’t think much about it. Over time, though, the significance grew.
“It hasn’t been all roses,” he said earlier this summer. “But there’s a lot of mutual respect. I’m super grateful now, looking back. To say that I’ve spent my whole career here and I will spend my whole career here — I have a lot more appreciation for it now.”
Teammates credited his work ethic for shaping how the clubhouse operated. Max Muncy said nobody worked harder. Dave Roberts called him the greatest competitor he’s ever managed. And Mookie Betts said he always felt the need to do right by him.
A Legacy Of Work And Will
Kershaw’s records and accolades are enough to explain why he’ll be in Cooperstown in 2031. He pitched through injuries, through scrutiny, and under pressure that would have crushed many others.
In 2020, when the Dodgers finally won the World Series, Kershaw looked upward after the final out. The championship erased years of postseason disappointment and became a defining moment of redemption. By the time he added a second ring in 2024, his career was complete. The 3,000 strikeouts in 2025 are the final touch, one last milestone before walking away.
The end of his career will be remembered for the 18 seasons he gave to one franchise, the consistency he brought, and the way he handled both success and heartbreak with the same consistency.