Home Care In Clayton, LA

He came to town as a quiet Texas kid charged with carrying the team from Hollywood.

For 18 years, in greatness and in grief, through sweet dreams and bitter despair, he did exactly that.

He was splendid. He was awful. He set records. He crashed seasons. He was passionately embraced. He was loudly booed.

For 18 years, Clayton Kershaw pitched through the gamut of emotions as both a hero and a villain, moments of euphoria addled with spells of despair, picturesque summers disappearing into the wicked wilds of October.

But carry the Dodgers, he did, with courage and dignity and grace, and in the end, he will be surrounded only by love, a deep and abiding roar of affection from a city to a simple man who willed himself into legend.

Clayton Kershaw announced Thursday he is retiring at the end of this season.

The greatest Los Angeles Dodger ever is leaving the building.

“Yeah I’m gonna call it, I’m gonna retire,” he said Thursday afternoon during a tearful news conference in a Dodger Stadium room also filled with teammates and family. “I’m at peace with it, it’s the right time.”

He is more enduring than Sandy Koufax, more accomplished than Fernando Valenzuela, more impactful than any hitter in the team’s 67-year history in Los Angeles.

He is not only the greatest Dodger, but also resides at the top of a list of the greatest athletes in Los Angeles history, joining Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant as Hall of Famers who spent their entire careers with one Los Angeles team and left behind a legacy that indelibly altered their franchise’s culture.

The golden era of Dodger baseball, 11 West Division titles in 12 years, two World Series championships? It is a glory that carries the shade of one man, his teammates following Kershaw’s daily leadership into a place that looks and feels like his unrelenting glare.

The Dodgers are unselfish? That’s Kershaw. The Dodgers are accountable? That’s Kershaw. The Dodgers have the strength to rise out of what seems like constant adversity? That’s Kershaw.

“When it comes to him, the story I’ve always told is that he’s always set the example,” teammate Max Muncy said. “Everyone’s known for the past 10 years that he’s gonna be a Hall of Famer, but there’s no one in this clubhouse that has worked harder than he has. ... He shows up, he gets his work in, he’s gonna work as hard as he possibly can, he’s gonna leave it all out there, and then when it’s all over, he’s gonna have some fun.”

Their newest motivation to capture a second consecutive championship this fall? That’s also Kershaw.

“I do think that his final go-around, this last push, I think it certainly motivates his teammates, who want him to go out as a champion,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And nothing more than we would want is to win in ’25. He’s handled everything — success, the failures — with grace, professionalism and that’s always been consistent.”

That he is retiring now is not a surprise. He’s been talking about it for several years. He’s 37, his beard has turned gray, he’s battled all sorts of injuries, and he’s no longer a cornerstone of the rotation.

But that he is ending his career while pitching so well is a huge surprise. His fastball crosses the plate in slow motion, but he is still able to junk it up enough to go 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA including going 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in August.

“It’s been such a fun year, I’ve had such a blast with this group,” Kershaw said. “I can’t think of a better season to go out.”

He can still battle. He can still compete. And while there will be much emotion surrounding his final home start Friday against the San Francisco Giants, he could pitch again during the postseason, making an emergency start or even pitching out of the bullpen.

How great would it be to see him finish strong in October? After all, it is his resilience in October that has defined his career here. Although he has one MVP award, three Cy Young awards, 222 wins and 3,039 strikeouts, those aren’t the numbers that many people will remember.

A 4.49 ERA in 39 postseason appearances, those are the numbers.

That’s the failure that Kershaw endured, that’s the stain that he once felt, those are the results that actually certify his greatness.

The St. Louis Cardinals shelled him. The Houston Astros cheated him. The Washington Nationals rocked him. And two years ago, in his most recent postseason start, gritting through a severely injured shoulder that should have kept him off the mound, the Arizona Diamondbacks shelled him for six runs before he could get two outs.

Yet he never complained about the injury. He never made excuses for anything. He never griped that he was pitching on short rest, or pitching with a bum arm, or pitching with a terrible offense and an untrustworthy bullpen.

He kept imploding in the postseason yet he kept coming back, year after year after year. He never let his failures own him, he never let them even slow him, until he finally overcame his curses by going 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA in a 2020 World Series run that ended with a championship win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

When the Dodgers clinched that title, Kershaw was seen staring up into the heavens, thankful that redemption was finally his. He was injured last year and didn’t pitch in the postseason, but he was part of that team nonetheless, giving him two titles that all but fulfilled his career.

He had one more personal goal, though, and he reached it this summer by becoming only the 20th player to record 3,000 strikeouts.

After that game, a win over the Chicago White Sox in early July, the stoic Kershaw finally acknowledged the chills of spending his entire career with one team, and the impact of his journey.

“I don’t know if I put a ton of stock in being with one team early on,” Kershaw said that night. “It’s just kind of something that happened. Over time, I think as you get older, and you appreciate one organization a little bit more — the Dodgers have stuck with me too. It hasn’t been all roses. I know that. There’s just a lot of mutual respect, I think. I’m super grateful now, looking back. To say that I’ve spent my whole career here and I will spend my whole career here — I have a lot more appreciation for it now.”

That appreciation was obvious in Thursday’s news conference as Kershaw tearfully read a heartfelt essay from his wife Ellen about her 18-year view from the stands, then ended his opening statement by quoting his favorite Bible verse.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart...” begins the verse from Colossians.

“That’s what I try to do,” Kershaw said. “Just work at it. Just work at it.”

The respect for that work has captivated a city, and Kershaw will surely hear it in these final days.

The greatest Los Angeles Dodger ever is leaving the building amid a roar that will live forever.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will bid farewell to Clayton Kershaw, who announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the 2025 season, concluding an 18-year career spent entirely with the franchise. Selected seventh overall in the 2006 MLB Draft, Kershaw made his major league debut on May 25, 2008, and has never worn another uniform. He becomes one of the rare modern players to spend his entire career with a single franchise.

Kershaw’s career is synonymous with relentless preeminence. He is an 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, 2014 National League MVP, and two-time World Series champion (2020 and 2024). He holds a career 2.54 ERA, the lowest of any pitcher in the live-ball era since 1920, with 222 wins, 96 losses, 15 shutouts, and 3,039 strikeouts. His 78.7 WAR (FanGraphs) and 80.4 WAR (Baseball Reference) rank him as the Dodgers’ all-time leader in wins above replacement. Kershaw’s winning percentage of .698 tops all pitchers with at least 200 victories since 1900. He also threw a no-hitter in June 2014 against the Colorado Rockies.

Amid prospects to ply his trade elsewhere, Kershaw chose to be a Dodger throughout his career, a decision that reflects his loyalty and deep connection to the franchise.

“I wouldn't change that for anything,” he said about spending his entire career with the Dodgers, according to Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com

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From 2011 to 2015, Kershaw was the most effective pitcher in MLB, tossing 1,128 innings with a 2.11 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate, and 47.4% ground ball rate. During that stretch, he earned 37.1 fWAR, more than any other pitcher. Injuries curtailed his innings later in his career, but he consistently maintained elite performance, posting sub-3.00 ERAs in most seasons from 2016 to 2019 and a 2.16 ERA across ten starts in the shortened 2020 season. He has recorded a 3.53 ERA over 102 innings this season, even with his strikeout rate falling to 17%.

However, Kershaw’s postseason record isn't as impressive as his regular-season record, with a 4.49 ERA across 194 1/3 innings, which shows the challenges he faced in October compared with his regular-season dominance. Nonetheless, his leadership, work ethic, and adaptability have been lauded by teammates and managers. His pitching style, built on deception, movement, and velocity changes, allowed him to remain effective even as his fastball velocity declined in later years.

Financially, Kershaw’s 2014 seven-year, $215 million extension remains one of the largest guarantees for a pitcher. He later signed a three-year, $91 million deal covering 2019–2021, breaking the $30 million average annual value barrier for pitchers at the time.

Off the field, Kershaw is a devoted family man with four children and a fifth on the way. He and his wife, Ellen, have engaged in humanitarian work in Africa and Los Angeles. Kershaw also has a personal connection to Los Angeles, having grown alongside local athletes like Matthew Stafford during his youth in Dallas. Kershaw’s eventual retirement will ensure he enters the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, with a Dodgers cap on his plaque.

Clayton Kershaw blew a kiss to his family, pounded a fist in his glove, then made the familiar trot from the Dodgers’ dugout to the Chavez Ravine mound.

This time, however, he did it alone.

In what was his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, coming one day after he announced that he would retire at the end of this year, Kershaw took the field while the rest of his teammates stayed back and applauded.

On a night of appreciation for his 18-year career, the moment belonged to him — and an adoring fan base that has watched his every step.

The first time Kershaw pitched at Dodger Stadium, he was a much-hyped and highly anticipated 20-year-old prospect. His talent immense. His Hall of Fame future in front of him.

When he did it for potentially the last time on Friday night, he was a much-beloved and long-admired 37-year-old veteran. Hardened by the failures that once defined his baseball mortality. Celebrated for the way he had learned to overcome them.

Few athletes in modern sport play for one team, for so long. Fewer still experience the emotional extremes Kershaw was put through, or manage still to weather the storm.

When Kershaw was asked about Dodgers fans during his retirement news conference Thursday, that’s the dynamic he quickly pointed to.

“It hasn’t been a smooth ride,” he said. “We’ve had our ups and downs for sure.”

Between boundless cheers and intermittent boos, historic milestones and horrifying heartbreaks, triumphant summers and torturous falls.

In regular-season play, baseball has maybe never seen a more accomplished pitcher. Kershaw’s 2.54 ERA is the lowest in the live-ball era among those with 100 starts. He is one of the 20 members of MLB’s 3,000 strikeout club. He is one of four pitchers to win three Cy Youngs and an MVP award.

In October, however, no one’s history has been more checkered. There were implosions against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and 2014. The infamous fifth game of the 2017 World Series against the sign-stealing Houston Astros. The nightmare relief appearance in 2019 against the Washington Nationals. Nine trips to the playoffs in his first 11 seasons, without winning a championship once.

In those days, it made Kershaw’s relationship complicated with Dodger Nation. He was heroic until he wasn’t. Clutch until the autumn. It didn’t matter that he was often pitching on short rest, or through injuries and strenuous workloads, or in situations no other pitcher would have ever been tasked. He was the embodiment of the Dodgers’ repeated postseason failings. The face of a franchise that could never clear the final hurdle.

1. Clayton Kershaw reacts after getting San Francisco’s Jerar Encarnacion to hit into a double play in the third inning Friday night at Dodger Stadium. 2. Kershaw acknowledges the cheers from the Dodger Stadium crowd after exiting the game in the fifth inning. 3. Kershaw acknowledges the crowd after leaving the game in the fifth inning. 4. Kershaw is congratulated by his teammates as he exits the game. 5. Kershaw is embraced by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as he leaves the game in the fifth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s almost like a relationship, right?” Kershaw said. “You’ve been in it 18 years with them. There’s some great times, and then there’s some times where you probably want to break up for a minute.”

In his case, though, that’s how such an enduring bond was built.

He persevered through such struggles. He kept coming back every season. He finally got over the hump with World Series titles in 2020 and 2024. He never shied away from even his darkest moments.

“With that responsibility as the ace, you’ve got to take on a lot of scrutiny or potential failures,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Everything wasn’t optimal for him. But he never complained about it. Never made an excuse for it.

“I think the fans, certainly at his highest moments, have shown their love for him and support. In those other times, I think it’s just, the fans have been hurting along with him. Wanting so much for a guy that’s been such a stalwart and a great citizen and person for this city and organization.”

“I think the respect, the universal respect, is certainly warranted 10 times over.”

Over a 6-3 win against the San Francisco Giants that ended just minutes after the Dodgers clinched their 13th consecutive postseason berth, that’s what was celebrated from Kershaw’s first pitch to his last.

The left-hander threw 4? innings of two-run ball, striking out six batters on four hits and four walks, but it wasn’t his stats that mattered. He struggled with his command, averaged only 89 mph with his fastball, and left the mound with the Dodgers trailing, but the memories from this night will go far beyond that.

From the moment Kershaw emerged on the field at 6:23 p.m., fans rose to their feet. They cheered and chanted his pregame routine in the outfield and bullpen. They roared when his name was introduced shortly before first pitch.

They knew this could be his Dodger Stadium send-off, a sentimental opportunity to say thank you for all he accomplished and all he endured.

Kershaw felt a swirl of emotions, as well, sitting teary-eyed in the outfield while taking in the scene before the game began.

“You’re trying to focus on the night and getting outs, but it’s a special day,” Kershaw said. “It’s the last time here, potentially, and this place has meant so much to me for so long. I didn’t want to not think about it.”

At the start of the first inning, his teammates made sure he wouldn’t. As Kershaw headed to the mound, the Dodgers’ fielders made an impromptu decision to stay back and let him be serenaded with an extended ovation.

“I didn’t love it,” Kershaw joked. “But it was a great gesture.”

And as he stood on the mound alone, he smiled and waved at a moment 18 years in the making.

“This is one of those moments where Dodger fans, you all have seen him for 18 years and watched his career grow and everything that he’s gone through,” Roberts said. “People are going to look back and go, ‘I was there for the last time he started a home game at Dodger Stadium.’ ”

From there, the night was surprisingly tense.

Kershaw gave up a home run on the third pitch of the game to Heliot Ramos. He spent the next four innings battling traffic, stranding two runners later in the first, another two in the second, and two more in the third after a Wilmer Flores RBI single.

By the fourth, it was clear Kershaw was not long for the evening. His pitch count was rising. The bullpen was active. And with two outs in the inning, Willy Adames was extending a two-strike at-bat.

On the ninth pitch of that battle, however, Kershaw finally got a whiff on a slider. For the first time since the first inning, Dodger Stadium erupted once again.

Kershaw returned to the mound in the fifth, and struck out Rafael Devers with a fastball at the knees.

With that, his night was over, along with maybe his Dodger Stadium career.

“I feel like the moments that we have right there in front of us, it’s history,” second baseman Miguel Rojas said.

“You had to just kind of be there to really feel the emotions,” shortstop Mookie Betts added.

In the stands, applause echoed through a sellout crowd of 53,037 — which included former teammates Austin Barnes, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Trayce Thompson and AJ Pollock; as well as other Los Angeles sports icons from Magic Johnson to Matthew Stafford (a childhood friend of Kershaw’s from Texas).

After receiving hugs from his infield, and embracing Roberts with an apology (“I’m sorry I pitched so poorly tonight”) and a request (“Not trying to be disrespectful, but I’m keeping this ball”), the pitcher then made the slow walk back from the rubber.

He took a deep breath. He gave a hugging motion to his family sitting in the loge level. He donned his cap, and repeatedly said thank you to a crowd that never ceased to cheer.

“It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but you guys have stuck with me,” Kershaw, who also re-emerged from the dugout for a raucous curtain call, reiterated in a postgame on-field interview.

“Dodger Stadium is a super special place, and the fans are the main reason why,” he added in his postgame news conference with reporters. “They continue to come out and support us. Every night, it’s 50,000 people. I wish I had better words other than I’m just so honored and thankful to hear those ovations. I’ll never take that for granted.”

Now, one more October awaits — with the Dodgers (87-67) officially clinching a postseason berth Friday after roaring to the lead on back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Betts in the bottom half of the fifth.

Kershaw’s role in this last title chase is uncertain. With a loaded rotation, but shaky relief corps, the Dodgers’ best use for him could come out of the bullpen. Roberts said he envisions Kershaw fitting somewhere on the playoff roster. Kershaw said he can “do the math” and is prepared “to do whatever I can to help.”

Either way, his legacy with the Dodgers, and its forever indebted fan base, had already long before been graciously cemented.

“I’m kind of mentally exhausted today, honestly, but it’s the best feeling in the world now,” Kershaw said. “We got a win, we clinched a playoff berth, and I got to stand on that mound one last time. I just can’t be more grateful.”

“Perfect night,” he later added. “It really was.”

Dodgers fans pay up, in significant numbers and in significant amounts, to watch their team on SportsNet LA: Home team, home channel.

Not on Friday, though, when Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for what might well be the final time at Dodger Stadium.

The exclusive broadcast rights for the game belong to Apple TV+, as part of a package of Friday night games bought from Major League Baseball. Apple is guaranteed a minimum of four exclusive broadcasts for whatever teams it chooses to air, according to a league official. Friday’s game will be the Dodgers’ fourth on Apple TV+ this season, so it remains exclusive to Apple.

The alternate Apple game Friday involves the Toronto Blue Jays. As it became apparent the Blue Jays might clinch a playoff spot on Friday, Apple and MLB agreed that Sportsnet — the Blue Jays’ equivalent of SportsNet LA — could air a simulcast of that Apple TV+ broadcast. (That change was announced Thursday morning, before a Jays loss and Cleveland Guardians win made it impossible for Toronto to clinch on Friday.)

However, the Jays will total five exclusive Apple TV+ broadcasts this season.

This will not be the first bit of Dodgers history limited to the Apple audience. In 2022, when Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run, the game was on Apple.

The man who called the Pujols game for Apple also will call the Kershaw game for Apple: Wayne Randazzo, the voice of the Angels.

Kershaw, the 11-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young award winner, said Thursday he would retire at season’s end. After the weekend series against the San Francisco Giants, in which Kershaw is scheduled to start Friday’s game, the Dodgers finish the regular season on the road. The Dodgers have not said what role, if any, Kershaw might fill on their playoff roster.

Fans can sign up for a free seven-day trial of Apple TV+ here. (If you’re signing up just to watch Kershaw, you’ll need to cancel within the seven-day window, or you’ll be billed $12.99 each month.)

Dodgers fans packed into Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, wearing jersey number 22 to honor the pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who announced his retirement after 18 seasons with the ball club.

Kershaw, the 37-year-old left-handed pitcher, announced he'll retire after the 2025 season. An 11-time all-star, he's spent all 18 years of his career wearing Dodger blue, a run of success not going unnoticed by fans.

"Having been born and raised in LA, it's like that's a very LA ride or die thing to do is start off as a Dodger and end as a Dodger and I think a lot of LA fans are really happy about that," said Rebecca Ceped, a Dodger fan.

Some fans remember the very first time they saw him take the mound back in 2008.

"Young, a lot of promise and it was he had a pretty good debut," said Myses Giron, another fan.

Others don't know of a time when he wasn't part of the "Boys in Blue."

"I think it is pretty cool that he stayed with the Dodgers so much that he gets to do this and like I am really happy for him," said Mercedes Cardenas, who attended Thursday night's game.

He wasn't just a great pitcher; some fans said his greatness went beyond the mound.

"Great guy, nothing to complain about, always friendly, definitely wanted to make sure the fans had a reason to still be a fan," said Michael Villarama.

For most Kershaw fans, there's one specific moment from his career that his etched into Dodger lore.

"It gave me goose bumps. I felt so happy and proud of him," said Lourdes Cepeda, about Kershaw accomplishing 3000 strikeouts.

Kershaw is a two-time World Series Champion and will cap off his Hall of Fame career with three Cy Young awards, the most prestigious honors in Major League Baseball. But his fans said his story isn't finished yet.

"I am hoping he can ride into the sunset with a third World Series, hopefully," Giron said.

The Dodgers' Friday night home game against the San Francisco Giants will be his last regular-season home game. Fans said they hope many of the players will still be here next season, but added that it won't be the same without number 22 on the field.