"Kershaw took a seat in front of teammates, his wife Ellen and their children, and a throng of reporters. The 37-year-old was there to formally announce his decision to retire after the 2025 season. Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten started the press conference with opening remarks, then turned the floor over to Kershaw. He spoke fondly about making an impact this season and how much of a joy the year has been."
"Kershaw's retirement announcement came the day before he's scheduled to make his last regular-season start at Dodger Stadium. There's also some uncertainty over Kershaw's role and roster spot as the Dodgers head into the postseason with a surplus of starting pitchers. He revealed those to be factors behind going public with retirement plans. So too was Kershaw not wanting to be a "distraction" over what he predicted would be another month-plus of the Dodgers playing baseball."
"But in this case, Clayton and Ellen sensed 2025 would be an 18th and final season with the Dodgers. "I'm at peace with it. I think it's the right time," Kershaw assured. He shared a message from Ellen and thanked teammates, Dodgers ownership and front office personnel, and longtime supporters from his native Dallas. There were several moments where he became emotional and needed to pause for tears. Kershaw's voice particularly cracked when he addressed teammates."
Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement effective after the 2025 season during a press conference at Dodger Stadium with family, teammates and executives present. He cited uncertainty over his postseason role and roster spot plus a desire not to be a distraction as reasons for making the decision public. Kershaw and his wife had previously evaluated futures season-by-season but sensed 2025 would be his 18th and final year with the Dodgers. He expressed peace with the timing, thanked teammates and supporters, and became emotional while addressing the team.
Read at Dodger Blue
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]