Now-retired Kershaw already set for return to Dodger Stadium -- behind the mic

The recently retired Clayton Kershaw already has a date set for his not-so-long-awaited return to Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw will work alongside legendary broadcaster Bob Costas for an on-site pregame show next Thursday (March 26) as part of NBC’s Opening Day doubleheader, with the Dodgers hosting the Diamondbacks at 8 p.m. ET.

The Dodgers will raise their 2025 World Series banner during the pregame show, celebrating back-to-back championships after defeating the Blue Jays in seven games last fall.

Kershaw -- an 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young award winner, NL MVP and two-time World Series champion in his 18 years in Los Angeles -- just wrapped up his likely future Hall of Fame career in 2025. He was also on Team USA’s roster to begin the World Baseball Classic, though he did not appear in a game and was later replaced by Jeff Hoffman, officially ending his professional career.

But the lefty won’t be going far from the game, as he joins a star-studded lineup of NBC broadcasters for Opening Day. Jason Benetti will have the play-by-play call of the game, while color analysts Orel Hershiser and Luis Gonzalez will join him.

NBC is hosting Sunday Night Baseball throughout the 2026 season, and the network is making an effort to have local color analysts join Benetti each week, as evidenced by having Hershiser and Gonzalez in the booth on Opening Day.

NBC will also air Pirates at Mets at 1 p.m. ET next Thursday. Two-time Mets All-Star pitcher Al Leiter and former Pirates Silver Slugger-winner Neil Walker will be in the booth alongside Matt Vasgersian. That game’s on-site pregame show will feature host Ahmed Fareed and former big-league reliever Adam Ottavino, who pitched for the Mets from 2022-24.