Clayton Kershaw, the greatest left-handed pitcher of this generation and maybe the greatest pitcher of this generation period, will retire following the 2025 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that drafted Kershaw and the only team he has played for, made the announcement Thursday afternoon.
“On behalf of the Dodgers, I congratulate Clayton on a fabulous career and thank him for the many moments he gave to Dodger fans and baseball fans everywhere, as well as for all his profound charitable endeavors,” Dodgers owner Mark Walter said in a statement. “His is a truly legendary career, one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Kershaw, 37, has seemingly gone year-to-year with the decision to continue playing the last few seasons. This year, he is 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 20 starts since returning from offseason knee and toe surgery, and he was named to the All-Star Game as a “Legends Pick” by commissioner Rob Manfred. It was Kershaw’s 11th career All-Star Game selection.
Clayton Kershaw to retire after 2025 season: Dodgers ace calls it quits after 18 years in MLB
R.J. Anderson
Here now are some numbers that highlight just how extraordinary Kershaw’s career has been.
1
No-hitter. On June 18, 2014, Kershaw no-hit the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, and struck out 15 batters in the process. Colorado’s lone baserunner came on a Hanley Ramirez throwing error at shortstop in the sixth inning. The error was the only thing standing between Kershaw and what at the time would have been the 24th perfect game in MLB history.
“As far as individual games, this is pretty special,” Kershaw said after the no-hitter. “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. Get to do it at home, it’s even better. It’s amazing.”
2
World Series championships. Kershaw won titles with the 2020 and 2024 Dodgers, though he did not pitch in the 2024 postseason due to injury. In 2020, Kershaw had a 2.31 ERA in 11 ⅔ innings in his two World Series starts against the Tampa Bay Rays, both wins for Los Angeles.
3
Cy Youngs. Kershaw won the league’s top pitching honor in 2011, 2013, and 2014. He also won the National League MVP award in 2014, becoming only the 11th pitcher to win Cy Young and MVP in the same season. Those three Cy Youngs are tied for fifth all-time, and are the the third most for a left-handed pitcher behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
Here are the pitchers with the most Cy Youngs in baseball history:
- Roger Clemens: 7
- Randy Johnson: 5
- Greg Maddux: 4
- Steve Carlton: 4
- Clayton Kershaw: 3
Pedro Martinez, Jim Palmer, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander are the other six pitchers with three career Cy Youngs. Martinez, Palmer, Koufax, and Seaver are in the Hall of Fame. Scherzer and Verlander, like Kershaw, will be in one day as well.
7
Kershaw’s draft slot. The Dodgers selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 Draft out of his Texas high school. Evan Longoria and Andrew Miller are the only players selected ahead of Kershaw to have long and productive MLB careers. Either Kershaw or Hall of Famer Frank Thomas is the best player ever drafted with the No. 7 pick.
.698
Kershaw’s career winning percentage. With a 222-96 record, Kershaw’s career .698 winning percentage is the highest in baseball history since the Live Ball Era began in 1920. Here are the highest winning percentages in the Live Ball Era (min. 200 starts):
- Clayton Kershaw: .698
- Whitey Ford: .690
- Pedro Martinez: .687
- Lefty Grove: .680
- Vic Rashi: .667
Kershaw’s 222 wins are far and away the most in baseball history among pitchers with fewer than 100 career losses. Ron Guidry is a distant second with a 170-91 career record.
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R.J. Anderson
77.6
Kershaw’s career wins above replacement, or WAR. That is 19th most among pitchers in the Live Ball Era (since 1920), and seventh most among pitchers who began their careers after the mound was lowered in 1968. Here’s the pitching WAR leaderboard since the mound was lowered to its current height:
- Roger Clemens: 138.7
- Greg Maddux: 104.8
- Randy Johnson: 103.5
- Bert Blyleven: 96.1
- Pedro Martinez: 86.1
- Mike Mussina: 82.8
- Justin Verlander: 82.6
- Curt Schilling: 80.5
- Clayton Kershaw: 77.6
Johnson is the only other left-hander on that leaderboard.
3,039
Career strikeouts. Kershaw struck out his 3,000th batter this July 2 and in doing so became only the fourth left-hander in history in the 3,000-strikeout club. Here is the milestone strikeout:
Here is the all-time strikeout leaderboard for southpaws:
- Randy Johnson: 4,875
- Steve Carlton: 4,136
- CC Sabathia: 3,093
- Clayton Kershaw: 3,039 and counting
- Mickey Lolich: 2,832
Those 3,039 strikeouts place Kershaw 20th on the all-time leaderboard, right-handers included.
2.54
Kershaw’s career ERA. That is the second lowest by any pitcher with at least 2,000 innings since the Live Ball Era began in 1920. Here are the lowest ERAs in the Live Ball Era:
- Hoyt Wilhelm: 2.52
- Clayton Kershaw: 2.54
- Whitey Ford: 2.75
- Sandy Koufax: 2.76
- Jim Palmer: 2.86
Kershaw also has a 2.54 ERA in close to 300 career minor-league innings. He had the exact same ERA in the minors as he does in the majors.
154
Kershaw’s career ERA+, or adjusted ERA. That is ERA relative to the league average after being adjusted for ballpark, the league’s offensive environment, and other factors. A 100 ERA+ is exactly average, and the higher the number, the better.
Kershaw’s career 154 ERA+ means he was 54% better than the average pitcher during his career. That is tied for the highest mark in baseball history among AL/NL pitchers with at least 2,000 career innings. Here’s the leaderboard:
- Clayton Kershaw: 154
- Pedro Martinez: 154
- Lefty Grove: 148
- Walter Johnson: 147
- Hoyt Wilhelm: 147
Just to put this into perspective, Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet has a 158 ERA+ this season and is a strong contender for the AL Cy Young award. Kershaw has pitched at just about that level for his entire career.
5
Years until Kershaw is in the Hall of Fame. His five-year waiting period will begin after this season, meaning Kershaw will assuredly be voted in Cooperstown following the 2030 season and officially inducted during the summer of 2031.
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