A Legendary Career Comes to an End: The Story of Clayton Kershaw
- Mayline Ruiz
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
After 18 years of playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw has officially decided to retire following the 2025 season. Let's take a look at a future Hall of Famer's career and just how much he meant to the Dodgers' community.
Kershaw was born on March 19, 1988, in Dallas, Texas. Kershaw was drafted in 2006 in the 1st round as the 7th pick from Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. In high school, Kershaw went to school with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, where they played baseball together. Kershaw had a 13-0 undefeated record in his senior year, where he only allowed 23 hits and 26 walks in 64 innings.
Originally, Kershaw had committed to Texas A&M; however, once the Dodgers drafted him, he decided to join the team and not attend Texas A&M. He spent two years in the Minor Leagues with the Jacksonville Suns, a Double-A affiliate team, and the Great Lakes Loons, a Single-A affiliate for the Dodgers, before he made his Major League debut.
On May 25, 2008, Kershaw made his Major League debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, where the Dodgers won 4-3. He pitched for six innings, where he only allowed five hits, two earned runs, and struck out seven batters.
During Kershaw's rookie year, he pitched in 22 games, winning five and losing five, with an ERA of 4.26. As each year passed, he only got more experience, which allowed him to lower his earned run average. It only took Kershaw three years before he won his first Cy Young Award in 2011. Kershaw had an ERA of 2.28 in his 33 starts, striking out 248 players while allowing 66 runs and pitching over 230 innings.
Kershaw has always been a reliable pitcher for the Dodgers. While he has faced his share of injuries, such as to the back or toe, he has always found a way to come back and pitch for a few games. In recent years, the Dodgers have faced setbacks with pitchers, and they have lost starting pitchers to injuries; however, Kershaw was someone they could always rely on starting during the regular season as well as the postseason.
In 2008, Kershaw made his first postseason debut against the Philadelphia Phillies during the National League Championship Series, where the Phillies took the series 4-1. Kershaw didn't make his debut until the second game during the 7th and 8th innings. He would go on to make his second appearance in Game Four, where he pitched in the 6th inning. It's important to note that in the three innings he pitched, he didn't allow one run.
With the Dodgers' success, Kershaw has made multiple starts following 2008, such as in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and many more. However, one year that continues to get brought up during his postseason performance is in 2017 against the World Series Champions, the Houston Astros.
2011 was a successful year for Clayton Kershaw since he won his first Cy Young, but he also won a Gold Glove, made his first All-Star appearance, and ended the season with a Triple Crown. A Triple Crown is when a player leads their division in three major categories during the season. For pitching, this would be wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Kershaw took the Triple Crown with an ERA of 2.28, 248 strikeouts, and 21 wins.
In 2014, Kershaw won the National League Most Valuable Player award, making him the first pitcher to win in half a century. Not only did he win the MVP Award, but he also won his second Cy Young Award of his career. During his 22 years playing in Major League Baseball, Kershaw won three Cy Young Awards, making him one of 10 players to win over three Cy Young Awards.
He has spent his career checking off important milestones, such as his no-hitter. In 2014, Kershaw pitched his first no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, where the Dodgers won 8-0. During his no-hitter, Kershaw had 15 strikeouts.
Kershaw has also shown dominance during the postseason, where he has been a reliable pitcher for the Dodgers. In the 12 years that Kershaw has played in the postseason, he has accumulated an ERA of 4.49, where he has struck out 213 players.
There is a belief that during the postseason, Kershaw’s ERA gets higher compared to the regular season, and he leaves a lot of runners on base, which can cause him to not play well under pressure. However, Kershaw has always been reliable and dominant.
In 2020, Kershaw won his first World Series Championship, where he won four games and only lost one. After 12 years of playing for the Dodgers, Kershaw was finally able to get his first ring, and it only took four years for him to get his second one.
During the 2024 season, Kershaw was sidelined with a few injuries; however, he still managed to pitch in seven games, where he had an ERA of 4.50, struck out 24 batters, and allowed only 36 hits. Even after the Dodgers shut him down for the remainder of the 2024 season, Kershaw was still with the team during the postseason, where he was able to secure his second ring.
In his last season with the Dodgers, Kershaw finally reached 3000 career strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox. Kershaw got the 3000 strikeout against Vinny Capra. Kershaw joins an exclusive group, as only 20 people have been able to achieve this milestone. Kershaw is also the fourth left-handed pitcher to achieve this. There’s no better way to finish off your career than by completing such a difficult milestone.
For many fans, Kershaw has been their Sandy Koufax, another reliable and legendary pitcher for the Dodgers. People have grown up with their parents sharing stories about Kofaux and how amazing it was to be able to see such a talented player on the mound every few days. This generation of Dodger fans was able to grow up with Kershaw and enjoyed being able to see him start every four days.
After 22 years, it’s going to be strange not seeing Kershaw on the Dodgers roster, but his achievements have kept baseball fans on the edge of their seats. With Kershaw retiring, what do you think? How do you feel about his retirement, and are you looking forward to seeing what he does next? Let me know what you think!
Edited by Mary Merensky