Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw waves to the crowd during the 2025 World Series championship celebration at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. JOE LUMAYA/SPECIAL TO THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Opens Up On Retirement

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 1:00 PM ET

This offseason is going to look at little different for future Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw announced his retirement a few weeks before the postseason, and ended his storied career as a champion after a dramatic World Series win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now, a few weeks into retirement, Kershaw is trying to figure out what to do with a sudden excess in free time.

One thing he's certainly not doing, as Kershaw told Pardon My Take on Wednesday, is hitting the gym.

“I think the biggest thing is I have zero motivation to workout at all. Zero. I just don’t want to do anything," Kershaw said. "And that usually happens after the season, but slowly but surely you’re like, ‘Alright, I’ve gotta do this to get ready for next season.’ But with no next season, it’s like, I guess I need to start working out because this body can get out of hand really fast. But, right now, no motivation to do that.”

2013 Kershaw was ELITE pic.twitter.com/oAOTPs1uKw
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) November 12, 2025

If anyone deserves a break from working out, it's Kershaw. The three-time Cy Young award winning pitcher made 23 regular season appearances over the 2025 season, holding an 11-2 record as a starter.

Even ahead of the 2025 season, Kershaw knew this season was likely his last.

“I knew I was done basically the whole season. I kind of went into this year thinking it was going to be my last one and didn’t really say anything until the end and then going into the postseason definitely knowing it was my last one. What a way to end it, man, it was so special. I couldn’t script it any better than that," Kershaw said. "It was just time, it was time to be done and I’m at peace with that and I don’t have to try to keep up anymore.”

While his time in the postseason was limited, Kershaw's final pitch was a vital part of the Dodgers' World Series run. In the top of the 12th inning, Kershaw inherited loaded bases with two outs, forcing Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes to ground out.

“I was just so glad I got the out," Kershaw said. "Because that was the last time I ever pitched and I get to say that for the rest of my life. That’s pretty cool. The last out I ever got was bases loaded in the extra innings in a World Series game that we ended up winning six innings later.”