Clayton Kershaw has emotional gesture to wife Ellen, kids leaving Dodgers mound

The Los Angeles Dodgers future Hall of Famer pitched his final regular season game ever and had an emotional sendoff leaving the mound.

Sep 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) is greeted by second baseman Hyeseong Kim (6) after being relieved during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Clayton Kershaw had the perfect send off for his legendary Los Angeles Dodgers career.

Having only been with the Dodgers his entire career since 2008, the 11-time All Star and future Baseball Hall of Famer started his final regular season game ever.

When the 37-year-old left-hander was pulled in the top of the fifth inning against their NL West rival San Francisco Giants, Dave Roberts signaled it was time to take him out of the game, to which Kershaw started hugging his teammates before their manager even made it to the mound.

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Sep 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) greets first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) as he is relieved during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The crowd naturally gave him a standing ovation, along with all of his teammates, and it was truly a touching moment for the NL MVP and three-time NL Cy Young Award winner.

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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. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After giving one last hug to Roberts, Kershaw headed to the dugout, but in the most heartfelt gesture throughout, the 3,000 strikeout club member, only one of twenty pitchers to ever accomplish that feat, and only the fourth south paw to do it, and gave an imaginary hug to his pregnant wife Ellen and their four children, Cali, 10, Charley 8, Cooper, 5, and Chance, 3.

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Clayton Kershaw strikes out Rafael Devers to finish his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium and walks off the mound in an emotional scene pic.twitter.com/kigZsqyKng

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 20, 2025

The couple have been married for 15 years and are high school sweethearts, having met freshman year at Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas.

Jul 26, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) poses with wife Ellen Kershaw, sons Chance Kershaw, Cooper Kershaw and Charley Kershaw and daughter Cali during the game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Many of Kershaw's former teammates were in attendance as well to share in his final goodbye at Dodgers Stadium. Also there was his lifelong friend, having gone to the same high school where he met Ellen, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

"I didn't want to miss this," Stafford said. "I'm just so happy it fell on a night that I could be here."

Apr 11, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ellen Kershaw throws out the first pitch before the MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Ellen is the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (not pictured). | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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