Kershaw basks in one more Dodger Stadium curtain call

LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw stood alone on the mound at Dodger Stadium, the only ballpark he has called home in 18 big league seasons.

As "We Are Young" blared over the speakers, rivaled in volume by the downpour of affection from the packed stands, the legendary Dodgers left-hander realized his teammates had not joined him on the field. Kershaw gestured at the home dugout, then looked out at the crowd and waved to acknowledge the fans.

It was a scene that third baseman Max Muncy, the second-longest tenured Dodger behind Kershaw, had described the day before.

"When it comes to Clayton," Muncy said, "I think nothing would piss him off more if you did something like that. So for us, we’re going to take the field as normal, we’re going to play as hard as we can and we're going to get him a 'W.'"

Muncy was right on two of three counts -- the Dodgers pulled off a 6-3 win over the Giants, securing a postseason berth in the process. But despite Kershaw's wishes, it was never going to be just a regular Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

"I didn’t love it. But it was a great gesture," Kershaw said of taking the field by himself. "The guys have gone above and beyond the last few days for me. I never want to take away from -- be a distraction to the game or anything like that because obviously, winning is the most important thing for us, especially right now. But that was special."

On Thursday, when he announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season, a teary-eyed Kershaw expressed some hope that he was getting the emotional part out of the way. But he seemed to soak in the outpouring of love from his fans, teammates and coaching staff, both when he entered the game and exited after 4 1/3 innings to another thunderous ovation.

“Obviously, to go even further than what he means to the city of Los Angeles, he means the world to just all of baseball," rookie catcher Dalton Rushing said. "The things he’s done, no one else has ever done in this game. It speaks for itself, the accolades, everything he’s earned over 18 years.”

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From his Major League debut in 2008 to his 3,000th strikeout this past July, many of Kershaw's career-defining accomplishments have come at Dodger Stadium. His 2.26 ERA in 228 starts at home is the third lowest by a pitcher at a single ballpark in the Live Ball Era (since 1920, min. 100 starts), trailing only Jacob deGrom (2.14, Citi Field) and Don Drysdale (2.19, Dodger Stadium).

Kershaw's last regular-season start at his home ballpark fittingly came against a familiar opponent. His 2.10 ERA in 61 starts vs. the Giants is the third lowest against a single opponent in the Live Ball Era (min. 40 starts), behind Tom Seaver (2.02, Padres) and Harry Brecheen (2.03, Cubs). His 421 strikeouts against the Giants are the most all-time, five more than Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (416, per Elias).

"I’m just glad we won one more time," Kershaw said.

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While Kershaw's last start against the Giants began with Heliot Ramos taking him deep for a leadoff homer, he ended his night with two earned runs allowed on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts. He struck out his final batter, Rafael Devers, for the first out of the fifth before manager Dave Roberts came to the mound to take him out to an extended ovation.

"I just said, 'Congratulations on a great career,'" Roberts said. "He just said, 'I'm sorry I pitched so poorly tonight.'"

Fans were on their feet for 3 1/2 minutes as Kershaw hugged his infield, then Roberts. He tucked the ball into his back pocket before walking off the mound, stretching his arms out to the crowd as if to embrace them. After exchanging more hugs in the dugout, Kershaw emerged for a curtain call, doffing his cap and holding it to his heart.

"That’s probably what I’ll remember the most," Kershaw said. "I told Doc, ‘I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I’m keeping this ball.’ To be able to do that, look up and see my family, see the fans, the ovations and all that stuff -- I think once you’re out of the game, that’s when you can start to actually appreciate it a little bit more.”

The book may not quite be closed on Kershaw's regular-season career. He expects to make one final start next weekend in Seattle. Afterward, he's expected to have a place on the Dodgers' postseason roster, although he won't be in the rotation.

In years to come, Dodger Stadium may very well never see another player quite like Kershaw, an expected future Hall of Famer who spent his entire big league career with one team. Roberts was pleased to see that just as the fans relished seeing Kershaw on his home mound in the regular season one last time, he seemed equally intent on taking in the entire atmosphere.

It will take Kershaw some time to process his regular-season send-off at Dodger Stadium, let alone 18 years of memories in the big leagues. But he's certain he'll look back fondly on it all.

"I would’ve liked to go seven innings," he said. "But other than that, it was perfect.”