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Clayton Kershaw picked the perfect time to retire. Saturday, Kershaw was warming up in the bullpen when the Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series. Two days later, the Dodgers celebrated their come-from-behind victory with a parade through downtown Los Angeles on Monday. More news: Recent Yankees Pitcher Reportedly Ready to Retire, Asks About Rockies GM Job Kershaw, who announced his retirement in September, enjoyed one last bus ride with his teammates and thousands of fans, soaking up the championship atmosphere rarely afforded a player at the dawn of his career. CC Sabathia should know. The Hall of Famer won a championship in 2009, his first season after signing with the New York Yankees. He capped his career in the Bronx 10 years later with 251 career victories — but only the one trophy to show for it. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 03: A fan holds a sign thanking Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers before the start of the Dodgers 2025 World Series Championship parade on November 03, 2025 in Los Angeles. “Gotta give a shout out to the OG @ClaytonKersh22 on a hell of a career!!” Sabathia wrote on his Twitter/X account Monday. “Leaving this game a back-to-back champion with 3 rings and much more. I know he’s gonna be feeling some type of way after this parade “Soak it all in champ!! Next stop, Cooperstown.” Gotta give a shout out to the OG @ClaytonKersh22 on a hell of a career!! Leaving this game a back-to-back champion with 3 rings and much more. I know he’s gonna be feeling some type of way after this parade 😂 Soak it all in champ!! Next stop, Cooperstown.— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) November 3, 2025 “This is the perfect way to be done,” Kershaw told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson during the parade. “I’m so grateful to these fans.” "This is the perfect way to be done, I'm so grateful for these fans."Clayton Kershaw talks with @kirsten_watson, as he rides off into the sunset as a 3-time #WorldSeries champion. pic.twitter.com/3Cq235K5Vp— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) November 3, 2025 Kershaw’s only appearance in the 2025 World Series was brief but memorable. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 12th inning of Game 3 by getting Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes to ground out at the end of an eight-pitch at-bat. Far from being dragged to the finish line, Kershaw went out closer to the top of his game than most professional athletes with gray in their beards. More news: World Series MVP Award Winner Revealed After Dodgers Win Game 7 In 23 games (22 starts) during the regular season, Kershaw went 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA. He helped stabilize a Dodgers starting rotation decimated by injuries early in the season, then accepted a bullpen role as Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan and Shohei Ohtani returned to health. By erasing a three-games-to-two deficit in the best-of-seven World Series, the Dodgers only reinforced Kershaw’s decision to end his career on his own terms. Last year, injuries to his foot and knee — both of which required offseason surgery — forced Kershaw to the sidelines as the Dodgers capped their 2024 World Series run by beating the Yankees for the championship. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
