But Kershaw believes he’ll miss the people more than anything else, and he’s taken time to express his gratitude to those who have supported him at every stage of his storied career.
His wife, Ellen, and their four children, Cali, Charley, Cooper and Chance. Former teammates, several of whom were in attendance when Kershaw made his final regular-season start at his home ballpark on Friday. Current teammates, whom Kershaw described as one of the most fun groups he’s played with.
The Dodger Stadium faithful have been there through Kershaw’s high points: the trio of Cy Young seasons, the MVP year in 2014 and a multitude of milestones, such as his 3,000th strikeout game in July. They’ve seen the lows: crushing postseason disappointments, until the Dodgers broke through in 2020 and ’24 for two championships in the span of five years.
“It’s almost like a relationship, right? You’ve been in it 18 years with them,” Kershaw said Friday night. “There’s some great times and then there’s some times where you probably want to break up for a minute. Just having them behind me the way they have been has been the icing on the cake. It’s been so amazing to have them here. Dodger Stadium is a super special place, and the fans are the main reason why. They continue to come out and support us. Every night it’s 50,000 people.
“Wow. It’s been an amazing 18 years. I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. I wish I had more to say, other than it’s just been incredible. I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s been the most impactful 18 years of my life. I’ve raised four kids in L.A.
“And to get to be here with you today and just get to say thank you one more time is just the most amazing thing in the world. So thank you guys so much. Thank you for everything. And remember, we got another month left, so we’ll see you at the end of October.”
“Lots of people are going to tell you how great you are. I’ll leave that for later. First I want to wish you, Ellen and the kids health and happiness, whatever comes next in your lives.
“All right, that’s over. I want to talk about you as a pitcher. There’s no doubt about how great you were as a pitcher. Also great as a teammate, and a great role model for a generation of kids and adults. You’ve also been a good friend, and [I’m] happy to have been around to see your career from the beginning.
“Greatness as a pitcher and greatness as a human being are what made you very special. And I look forward to seeing you hopefully in the playoffs, and hopefully to see you again whenever we are together. Take care, be well, I’ll talk to you soon.”