Dodgers Pitcher Clayton Kershaw Is Married, and His Wife Brought Him to Tears Publicly

In September 2025, long-time Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw broke fan hearts everywhere by announcing his plans to retire at the end of the next season.

Although he's still on top of his game, Clayton wanted to leave his career on his own terms and not wait for a devastating injury or something out of his control to decide his departure from the Dodgers.

Which means that he now has more time to spend at home. Clayton is married and has several kids with the wife who brought him to tears at the press conference announcing his retirement. Here's what we know about their sweet relationship and the family they've built.

Clayton and his wife, Ellen, have been together since they were teenagers. According to Essentially Sports, the two dated for seven years prior to tying the knot in 2010 and starting their family.

Ellen publicly supports her husband and is a familiar face in the Dodgers fandom.

She took the spotlight again when her husband read a letter that she wrote for him to mark his retirement announcement on Sept. 18, 2025. And the letter brought him to tears, reminiscing on the previous 18 years as they navigated life in the Dodgers world.

Clayton read Ellen's letter aloud at the press conference, as a tear rolled down his cheek: "From my perch, I have been uncomfortably pregnant, nursed newborns, rocked them to sleep to the roar of the seventh-inning stretch to get their last nap in" (excerpts via New York Times).

“Fed them baby food, pouches, teething with crackers, changing blowout diapers, been frazzled with toddlers, tantrums, and meltdowns, chased them through the concourses. A Mary Poppins bag filled with tricks and games to keep them occupied, and ironically, teaching them the ins and outs of baseball. Explaining all the numbers on the scoreboard and the concession line, the ballpark food."

Ellen added, “(I’ve) cried over some really hard losses and some really incredible milestones. (I’ve) watched our kids fall in love with the game, with the players, and watching (him) pitch. Singing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’ chasing beach balls, ducking from fly balls, spilling food and popcorn all over the fans below them. (I’ve) done it thousands of times, thousands of bathroom runs, all in the stadium. The workers and ushers are (our) best friends now."

It was a touching memorial to Clayton's time as a Dodgers pitcher, but also his time as a father and husband through it all. Ellen and Clayton share four children together: Cali Ann, Charley Clayton, Cooper Ellis, and Chance James.

Their family is often photographed out and about supporting Clayton in his career. They were present to mark his 3,000th strikeout and celebrated the historic moment. Per Essentially Sports, Ellen marked the remarkable achievement by reminiscing, "I remember your very first strikeout and we were freaking out, screaming in our same section like always … cheering you on.“

Now that Clayton is retiring, he'll have more time to spend at home with his wife and kids, devoting his life to their growth and development now that his career is moving into a different stage.