Clayton Kershaw is Set to Make A Bunch of Money For His Start on Friday, Here's Why

When Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers matches up with Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night in LA, it will be more than just a battle of future Hall of Famers. It will also be a very lucrative payday for Kershaw.

Per @Spotrac on social media:

When #Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw takes the mound tonight he'll lock in a $1M bonus for making 13 starts.

He can add another $1M each for 14, 15, 16 starts, and is also 1-week away from fully vesting $4.5M of days-active bonus, putting him on track to max out his $16M contract.

When #Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw takes the mound tonight he'll lock in a $1M bonus for making 13 starts.

He can add another $1M each for 14, 15, 16 starts, and is also 1-week away from fully vesting $4.5M of days-active bonus, putting him on track to max out his $16M contract.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) August 8, 2025

One of the best pitchers of his generation, Kershaw is in his 18th year with the Dodgers. An 11-time All-Star, a five-time ERA champion and a three-time Cy Young winner, Kershaw has also won an MVP, a Triple Crown and a Gold Glove.

He's gone 217-96 for his career and is 5-2 this season with a 3.29 ERA. He's made 13 starts, battling injury over the last several years. He hasn't made more than 24 starts in a season since 2019, though he did make 10 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Scherzer and Kershaw were teammates briefly in 2021 when Scherzer played in Los Angeles after the trade deadline. He went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in LA, though the Dodgers were upended in the playoffs.

Scherzer won a World Series in 2019 with the Nationals and Kershaw has won two in LA (2020 and 2024).

First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET.

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