Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw officially retired from professional baseball following his team’s World Series 2025 victory.
The Dodgers clinched back-to-back World Series trophies on Saturday, November 1, with a Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings. It was another very competitive game between the two teams, as the Dodgers squeaked by with a 5-4 victory.
Following the Dodgers’ win, Major League Baseball paid tribute to Kershaw via X by declaring that he was “go[ing] out on top.” Kershaw, 37, confirmed in September that he planned to walk away from the sport this year after playing 18 seasons for the Dodgers.
Earlier in the day, the 11-time All-Star spoke to the MLB Network about how he was feeling as he approached the final game of his professional career.
“I have so many emotions. I think all of us do,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner admitted. “It’s Game 7 and I think about it all. I’m gonna miss it like crazy, putting on my [uniform] for the last time … But, at the end of the day, when you think about it, getting to be out here for a Game 7 as your last game. How cool is that, man?”
The pitcher added, “You can’t script it any better than that so I’m just really grateful. It’s going to be an awesome night and hopefully one more win.”
Kershaw did get up in the bullpen during Game 7 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, but it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who finished off the night with a game-winning double-play.
Clayton’s wife, Ellen Kershaw, and their four children — Cali, Charley, Cooper and Chance — were often in attendance to support the MLB star throughout the postseason. The athlete revealed in a live interview with Dodger Nation in June that Ellen is pregnant with the couple’s fifth baby.
“We’ve got #5 coming,” he beamed. “We’ve got another girl coming. We’ve got bookend girls to go with our three boys.”
The Dodgers pitching roster had an unexpected shakeup days before the World Series started when the team announced that Alex Vesia was taking time away to deal with a personal matter.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we share that Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter,” the team announced. “The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family and we will provide an update at a later date.”
No other details about the situation have been publicly revealed, though Kayla is pregnant with her and Alex’s first child. The Dodgers paid tribute to their missing compatriot by stitching Vesia’s number into their hats ahead of Game 3.
Following Game 3, Clayton admitted to the press that the entire Dodgers squad was feeling Alex’s absence.
“It’s just something that we talked about,” Kershaw said of their coordinated hats. “I’m new to the bullpen, but Ves, he means a lot to all of us. And he was a huge part of this team, huge part of that bullpen. So, we just wanted to do something to honor him.”
Elsewhere, Dodgers pitcher Evan Phillips added that their teammate’s departure was “playing on [their] hearts recently.”
“We certainly miss him on the field, but we know that we have his back and the support’s there for them while they’re going through this hard time,” he told the media.
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