Why Is Pitcher Clayton Kershaw Retiring from the Dodgers? "A Good Sending Off Point"
“I’m really not sad. I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this. It’s just emotional.”
Published Sept. 19 2025, 1:38 p.m. ET
It's the end of an era: long-time Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 season. This means that the pitcher Dodgers fans have known for a very long time will be leaving, reshaping the face of the team forever.
Clayton has flirted with the idea of retiring for several years, but he finally made the leap in a press conference ahead of the regular season, explaining his reasons for walking away from the Dodgers after so long.
Here's what we know about why he plans to retire.
Why is Clayton Kershaw retiring from the Dodgers?
The surprise announcement from Clayton came during a Sept. 18, 2025, press conference as the Dodgers prepared to kick off his final regular season start on the 19th, according to the New York Times.
Reading from what appeared to be notes on his phone, Clayton shared, "I'm going to call it. I'm going to retire."
He added, "Usually we wait until the offseason to kind of make a final call, but I think almost going into the season, we kind of knew that this was going to be it. So (I) didn’t want to say anything in case I changed my mind, but over the course of the season, just how grateful I am to have been healthy and be out on the mound and be able to pitch, I think it just made it obvious that this was a good sending off point, and it is.”
Clayton thanked his trainers Thomas Albert and Yosuke Nakajima for “helping me get this carcass out on the field every fifth day.”
The decision came as Clayton wanted to go out on his own terms rather than his body dictating his retirement. He mused, “’Own terms’ is a weird thing to say, but ‘not hurt’ is nice.”
An emotional Clayton read a letter from his wife recounting the last 18 years, with a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He added, “I’m really not sad. I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this. It’s just emotional.”
When is Clayton Kershaw's last game?
According to an announcement from MLB, Clayton's 18th season is his final, which means that his last game will be the last game for the Dodgers in the 2025-2026 season, although which game that will be depends on how far they go this season.
Clayton was poised to make his final regular-season start on Sept. 19, 2025.
How long has Kershaw been with the Dodgers?
There's a reason why fans are so stunned by Clayton's choice to leave: he's been there for what feels like forever. Clayton first joined the Dodgers in 2008, and he has ridden all of life's ups and downs since then as a Dodger.
Clayton had the distinction of being the longest-tenured pitcher in Dodgers' franchise history, according to the New York Times.
For most, it's hard to imagine a Dodgers team without Clayton at its helm. However, while one door is closing, new opportunities will open for the team to welcome a new pitcher and start a fresh era. And for Clayton, it's time to focus on different aspects of his life. Of course, the Dodgers will never be far from his heart.