-
Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw has decided he will retire at the end of this season, which will mark his 18th with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers announced Kershaw’s decision Thursday, adding that Friday will mark the final regular-season home start of his career. Kershaw is scheduled to hold a news conference later Thursday.
“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 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 has won an MVP and three National League Cy Young Awards in a career that will undoubtedly finish in the Hall of Fame, while making 11 All-Star Games, accumulating 222 victories and posting a 2.54 ERA. Earlier this year, he became the 20th pitcher in baseball history to accumulate 3,000 strikeouts.
His 18 seasons with the Dodgers are tied with Bill Russell and Hall of Famer Zack Wheat for most in franchise history. His 222 wins are second only to Don Sutton in franchise history.
Now 37, Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers’ rotation in the middle of May, in the wake of offseason knee and toe surgeries, and helped to stabilize a group that had once again been ravaged by injury. In August, as the rotation began to round into form, Kershaw elevated to another level, winning all five of his starts while posting a 1.88 ERA. All told, he is 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 20 starts this season, despite throwing the slowest fastball of his career.
After Kershaw starts against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, his role will be unclear. The Dodgers will head into the postseason with six capable starters, making it highly unlikely that Kershaw makes another start.
“I feel that there’s a place for him on our postseason roster,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN earlier this week.
“I don’t know what role, but I think that the bottom line is, I trust him. And so, for me, the postseason is about players you trust.”
