Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Reveals One Blemish on Otherwise Perfect Last Home Start

Sep 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) salutes the crowd after being relieved during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw in a spectacular way on Friday night with standing ovations, video tributes, and unforgettable moments in what was his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw noted after the game that amid the festivities, there was just one more thing he would have liked to do.

“I would’ve liked to go seven innings," Kershaw said. "But other than that it was perfect.”

He still made sure to discuss how "perfect" the night was.

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“The whole night was just special," Kershaw said, "Obviously it was a little harder than I wanted it to be. I was grinding out there, working way too hard to get people out. But thankful that I made it through what I did and kept us in the game a little bit and bullpen stepped up. Shohei’s homer, just incredible. Mookie’s homer right after, just amazing."

Kershaw went 4.1 innings and struck out six, allowing four hits, four walks, and two earned runs. His pitch count got up to 91, and 51 of those were in the strike zone.

“I was battling, not throwing very many strikes, having a tough time getting the ball where I wanted it to go,” Kershaw said.

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Despite the struggles, it was still an unforgettable night. Something that helped make it unforgettable (rather, two things), were the aforementioned back-to-back home runs from Ohtani and Betts.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Dodgers down 2-1, Ohtani smashed a three-run home run, No. 52 of the season for him. Immediately after his at-bat, Betts stepped up to the plate and launched the first ball he saw 405 feet away and into the seats.

For a night that was rightfully all about Kershaw, the home runs from his fellow MVP teammates helped secure the game not being soiled by a loss, and even clinched a playoff berth for the Dodgers. The veteran spoke after the game about how grateful he is with how the evening turned out.

“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, I got to stand on that mound one last time. I just can’t be more grateful.”

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.