Clayton Kershaw

Three-time Cy Young winner and 2014 NL MVP who spent his entire 18-year career with the Dodgers.

Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed starting pitcher, Kershaw was an 11-time National League (NL) All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2014 NL Most Valuable Player. He is one of 20 pitchers and four left-handers to be members of the 3,000 strikeout club. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.

Quick Facts

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left
Born: 19 March 1988
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: May 25
Debut year: 2008
Final team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Facts from the source article.

Background

Kershaw was drafted by the Dodgers with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft. He worked his way through the Dodgers' farm system and reached the major league level at age 20 after one season. In 2011, he won the pitching Triple Crown and the NL Cy Young Award, becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either of these feats since Dwight Gooden in 1985. Kershaw pitched a no-hitter on June 18, 2014.

He was on the roster of the 2025 World Series-winning team and received a ring from that team, missing the postseason due to injuries. Kershaw was the first pitcher to lead MLB in earned run average (ERA) in four consecutive years (2011–2014) and also led the NL in a fifth. He was also a three-time NL wins leader and strikeouts leader. His 2.53 career ERA is the lowest among starting pitchers with at least 60 starts in the live-ball era.

Kershaw was less effective in the postseason than in the regular season, with a 4.62 earned run average in postseason innings pitched. He retired from MLB after the 2025 season.

Did You Know?

Kershaw was born on March 19, 1988, in Dallas, Texas.
He attended Highland Park High School, where he played baseball and was the center for future NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford on the varsity football team.
In a playoff game, Kershaw pitched an all-strikeout perfect game, striking out all 15 batters he faced in a mercy-rule-shortened game.
He was selected by USA Today as 'High School Baseball Player of the Year' and was also the Gatorade National Player of the Year for baseball.
Kershaw was drafted seventh overall by the Dodgers in 2006 and signed for a bonus estimated at $2.3 million, then the largest bonus for any Dodgers draft pick.