Clayton Kershaw gives farewell address in final Dodger Stadium appearance

Los Angeles Dodgers icon and future Cooperstown inductee Clayton Kershaw made his final appearance at Dodger Stadium as a member of the team.

Kershaw, widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, spoke to Dodgers fans who filled the stadium to celebrate the team’s back-to-back World Series titles, as well as to say goodbye to the franchise legend.

Kershaw, an 11-time All-Star, 3-time Cy Young winner, and now 3-time champion, announced in September that the 2025 MLB season would be his last.

And what a fairytale ending it was.

In classic Kersh fashion, his comments were brief—genuine but contolled.

Here’s what Clayton Kershaw said in his final appearance as a player for the Los Angeles Dodgers:

“I told Freddie I’m going to try not to cry today. But I don’t know if that’s going to work! I’ll try not to make it weird. 

Thank you. Thank you for 18 years. Thank you for showing up and watching us play the last 18 years. Thank you for being here for me and my family and supporting us, and thank you for all you’ve given us. Thank you, my teammates. You guys are the best in the world. You guys are the best team in the world, and you’ve been the best team in the world, the best team in the world for as long as I remember. 

Last year, I said I was a Dodger for life. Today, that’s true. And today I get to say that I’m a champion for life. And that’s never going away. 

So thank you for this moment. Thank you to my teammates for this moment. Thank you to this organization for this moment, right here, I will remember it for the rest of my life. Thank you to these five right here (addressing his family). We love you so much. I’m so thankful for all of you. 

And I know we’re going to get one more next year. And I’m going to watch just like all of you.”

The Dodgers celebrated back-to-back World Series championships on Monday, after a nail-biting 7-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers are the first team to repeat as World Series champions in 25 years, after the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. The Dodgers will attempt to match that streak in 2026.