LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw stood alone on the mound at Dodger Stadium, the only ballpark he has called home in 18 big league seasons.
As "We Are Young" blared over the speakers, rivaled in volume by the downpour of affection from the packed stands, the legendary Dodgers left-hander realized his teammates had not joined him on the field. Kershaw gestured at the home dugout, then looked out at the crowd and waved to acknowledge the fans.
It was a scene that third baseman Max Muncy, the second-longest tenured Dodger behind Kershaw, had described the day before.
"When it comes to Clayton," Muncy said, "I think nothing would piss him off more if you did something like that. So for us, we’re going to take the field as normal, we’re going to play as hard as we can and we're going to get him a 'W.'"
Muncy was right on two of three counts -- the Dodgers secured a postseason berth with the Phillies' win over the D-backs shortly before beating the Giants, 6-3.
Despite Kershaw's wishes, it was never going to be just a regular Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
On Thursday, when he announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season, a teary-eyed Kershaw expressed some hope that he was getting the emotional part out of the way. But he seemed to soak in the outpouring of love from his fans, teammates and coaching staff, both when he entered the game and exited after 4 1/3 innings to another thunderous ovation.
"I’m super grateful to every single Dodger fan who’s come through the stalls here at Dodger Stadium, and everyone that I’ve gotten to meet along the way," Kershaw said Thursday. "I would say it’s been pretty special to have that fan base behind us all these years. There’s nothing better than having a full Dodger Stadium and getting to pitch in front of it."
From his Major League debut in 2008 to his 3,000th strikeout this past July, many of Kershaw's career-defining accomplishments have come at Dodger Stadium. His last regular-season start at his home ballpark fittingly came against a familiar opponent.
Not only has Kershaw faced the Giants more than any other team, he has dominated the Dodgers' longtime rivals. Entering Friday, he was 27-16 with a 2.08 ERA in 62 games (60 starts) against San Francisco. His 421 strikeouts against the Giants are the most all-time, five more than Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (416, per Elias).
While Kershaw's last start against the Giants began with Heliot Ramos taking him deep for a leadoff homer, he ended his night with two earned runs allowed on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts. He struck out his final batter, Rafael Devers, for the first out of the fifth before manager Dave Roberts came to the mound to take him out to an extended ovation.
Fans were on their feet for 3 1/2 minutes as Kershaw hugged his infield, then Roberts. He tucked the ball into his back pocket before walking off the mound, stretching his arms out to the crowd as if to embrace them. After exchanging more hugs in the dugout, Kershaw emerged for a curtain call, doffing his cap and holding it to his heart.
The book may not quite be closed on Kershaw's regular-season career. He could be lined up for one final start, which would come on the road next week. Afterward, he's expected to have a place on the Dodgers' postseason roster, although he won't be in the rotation.
In years to come, Dodger Stadium may very well never see another player quite like Kershaw, an expected future Hall of Famer who spent his entire big league career with one team. Friday night was a sendoff befitting of one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.