Draft and minor leagues (2006–2008) Entering the
2006 MLB draft, Kershaw was considered the consensus top high school pitcher available. The
Los Angeles Dodgers selected Kershaw with the seventh overall pick in the draft. He had committed to
Texas A&M University but turned down the scholarship offer to sign with the Dodgers, with a
bonus estimated at $2.3 million. At the time, it was the largest bonus conferred on any Dodgers draft pick and remained so until it was topped by the $5.25 million that
Zach Lee, another Texas high school pitcher, earned from the
2010 draft. Kershaw began his professional career with the
Gulf Coast League (GCL) Dodgers. He pitched 37 innings in 2006, striking out 54 batters while
walking only five and compiling a record of 2–0 with a 1.95 ERA. His
fastball topped out at .
Baseball America rated him as the top prospect in the GCL and the Dodgers' second best prospect behind
third baseman Andy LaRoche. Kershaw was promoted to the
Great Lakes Loons in 2007, with whom he recorded a record of 7–5 with a 2.77 ERA. He was selected to play on the East Team in the
Midwest League All-Star Game and on the USA team in the
All-Star Futures Game. On August 6, he was promoted to the Double-A
Jacksonville Suns in the
Southern League, where he produced a 1–2 record and 3.65 ERA in five starts and was selected as the top prospect in the Dodgers organization heading into the 2008 season. During
spring training in a game against the
Boston Red Sox, Kershaw gained much attention for throwing a
curveball to
Sean Casey that started behind Casey but at the end looped into the
strike zone and struck him out looking. Kershaw was 0–3 and had a 2.28 ERA with 47 strikeouts through innings pitched in his first stint of the year with the Suns. He was then called up to the majors on May 24, 2008, but
optioned back to Jacksonville on July 2. Kershaw pitched 18 innings during his second trip to Jacksonville (two starts and one seven-inning relief appearance), winning two games. During this stretch, he allowed only two
earned runs, lowering his ERA to 1.91. He was recalled on July 22.
2008 season: Rookie year On May 24, 2008, the Dodgers bought Kershaw's minor-league contract, and he was added to the
active roster. Sportswriter Tony Jackson called Kershaw's debut the most anticipated start by a Dodgers pitcher since
Hideo Nomo's MLB debut in
1995. He made his MLB debut on May 25, starting against the
St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out the first batter he faced,
Skip Schumaker, the first of seven strikeouts in the game, in which he pitched six innings and allowed two runs. When he debuted, Kershaw was the youngest player in MLB (20 years, 67 days), a title he held until
Fernando Martínez debuted in May 2009. Kershaw won his first MLB game against the
Washington Nationals on July 27. He pitched six-plus shutout innings, allowing four hits, a walk, and he struck out five. Kershaw finished his rookie season 5–5, with a 4.26 ERA in 22 games (21 starts). He also pitched two innings out of the
bullpen for the Dodgers in the
National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the
Philadelphia Phillies.
2009 season On April 15, 2009, Kershaw pitched seven innings, striking out 13 batters while allowing only one hit (a solo
home run) against the
rival San Francisco Giants. On May 17, Kershaw did not allow a hit against the
Florida Marlins through seven innings, then gave up a lead-off double to Florida's
Cody Ross. In 2009, despite an 8–8 record, he led the major leagues in opposing
batting average (.200), opposing
slugging percentage (.282), and
hits per nine innings (6.26). He also posted an ERA of 2.79 and 185
strikeouts. Kershaw also walked 91 batters, which was second most in the
National League (NL). Kershaw made his playoff starting debut against the St. Louis Cardinals in the
National League Division Series (NLDS). He went innings, striking out four, walking one, and ended up getting a no-decision (the Dodgers went on to win the game in the ninth inning). At 21 years old, he started the opener of the
NLCS against the
Philadelphia Phillies and was the third youngest pitcher to ever start a playoff series opener, behind only
Fernando Valenzuela in the
1981 NLDS and
Rick Ankiel in the
2000 NLDS.
2010 season: First complete game shutout Kershaw started the 2010 season by posting a 3.07 ERA in April but did so by walking 22 batters in 29 innings. On May 4, he had the worst start of his career against the
Milwaukee Brewers at
Dodger Stadium, throwing just 57 pitches in innings while retiring only four of the 13 batters he faced—including the pitcher. He was booed loudly upon being pulled from the game. Kershaw said after the game, "I didn't give our team any kind of chance. It's just not a good feeling to let your teammates down, let everybody down. It stings, it hurts. I've got to figure things out." Kershaw rebounded his next start by pitching an eight-inning two-hitter and outdueling the then-undefeated
Ubaldo Jiménez. He credited his control of the
slider being the major turning point for him. Later in the season, he was suspended for five games after hitting
Aaron Rowand of the Giants with a pitch in a game on July 20. The incident occurred after both teams were given a warning following Giants
ace Tim Lincecum hitting
Matt Kemp earlier in the game. He threw his first career
complete game shutout on September 14, also against San Francisco and finished the season with a record of 13–10 and a 2.91 ERA in 32 starts, pitching innings and recording 212 strikeouts.
2011 season: First Cy Young Award After finishing the 2010 season strong, the Dodgers named Kershaw as the
Opening Day Starter for the 2011 season. On May 29, he pitched the second complete-game shutout of his career, striking out 10 while winning a two-hitter against the Florida Marlins; he also had two singles and an
RBI, scoring twice in the game. He produced his third career shutout on June 20, a two-hit, 11-strikeout effort against the
Detroit Tigers. In his next start, on June 26, Kershaw pitched another complete game (against the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). He became the first Dodger starter to have back-to-back complete-game victories since
Jeff Weaver in the
2005 season and the first Dodger to have double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts since
Chan Ho Park in the
2000 season. He was awarded the
National League Player of the Week award for the week of June 20–26 as a result of those two starts. Midway through June, Kershaw had amassed 32 career victories, a 3.15 ERA and 593 career strikeouts in innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kershaw was the first 23-year-old pitcher to have that many victories, an ERA that low, and an average of more than one strikeout per inning since ERA became an official statistic in 1910. Kershaw was selected to the National League team for the
MLB All-Star Game, his first All-Star selection. In the month of July, Kershaw was 4–1 with a 2.02 ERA and NL-leading 45 strikeouts, earning him the
NL Pitcher of the Month Award. On August 23, he recorded his 200th strikeout of the season and became the tenth Dodger pitcher to record back-to-back 200 strikeout seasons and the first since Chan-Ho Park did it in the
2001 season. Throughout the season, Kershaw pitched opposite two-time
Cy Young Award winner and three-time defending
NL strikeout leader Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants in four particularly memorable matchups. Lincecum posted a 1.24 ERA over 29 innings in the four games but failed to record a win, as Kershaw countered with a 0.30 ERA over innings and was the winning pitcher in each game. Each game was decided by a final score of 1–0 or 2–1, with many writers describing the matchups as reminiscent of epic pitching duels of bygone eras. Kershaw finished the 2011 season by leading the NL with 21 wins, 248 strikeouts, and a 2.28 ERA, winning the NL pitching
Triple Crown, the first Triple Crown winner since
Jake Peavy of the
2007 San Diego Padres.
Justin Verlander of the
Detroit Tigers won the
American League Triple Crown the same season, marking the first major-league season since 1924 to feature Triple Crown-winning pitchers in both leagues. Kershaw also became just the second left-hander to have 240-plus strikeouts in a season before the age of 24, joining
Vida Blue. the
Players Choice Award for Most Outstanding National League pitcher, the
Gold Glove Award as the top fielding pitcher, and the
Sporting News (TSN)
National League Pitcher of the Year. He was additionally selected as the starting pitcher for the TSN NL All-Star Team. On November 17, he was honored with the
National League Cy Young Award, making him the youngest Cy Young winner since
Dwight Gooden of the
1985 New York Mets. He was the eighth Dodger pitcher to win the award.
2012 season: Cy Young runner-up On February 7, 2012, Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a two-year, $19 million contract. The contract was the second highest for a player in his first year of
arbitration (after Tim Lincecum's $23 million 2-year contract in 2010). Kershaw was the Dodgers' Opening Day starter for a second consecutive year, where he pitched three innings of shutout ball against the
San Diego Padres at
Petco Park before being removed from the game due to
flu-like symptoms. On April 27, he was able to last through eight innings for his second win of the season against the Washington Nationals. The win was also his 12th straight home win, tying him with
Ed Roebuck (June 1960 – August 1962) and
Orel Hershiser (September 1984 – October 1985) for the longest home winning streak since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. Kershaw won the National League's
Player of the Week Award for the week of May 14–20 after he made two starts during that week and pitched 16 scoreless innings, including his fourth career shutout. Kershaw was selected to appear in the
All-Star Game, the second straight year he made the team. On August 11, he went over 200 innings on the season, becoming the 12th Los Angeles Dodger pitcher with three or more seasons of 200 or more innings, and the first since Hershiser did it five times from 1985 to 1989. Kershaw also became just the fifth Dodger pitcher with three straight 200 strikeout seasons. Kershaw finished 2012 with a 14–9 record, a 2.53 ERA (leading the league), 229 strikeouts, and innings pitched, coming second in both categories. He became the first pitcher to lead the league in ERA in consecutive seasons since Arizona's
Randy Johnson in 2001–02. This also marked his fourth consecutive season with a sub-3.00 ERA, making him the first to do this since Randy Johnson from 1999 to 2002. He finished second for the NL Cy Young behind
R. A. Dickey, receiving two first-place votes.
2013 season: Second Cy Young Award Kershaw made his third straight opening day start for the Dodgers in the
2013 season, the first Dodger starter to do so since
Derek Lowe (2005–2007). In that opening day start, he pitched a complete game, four-hit, 4–0 shutout over the Giants, having also scored the first run of the game, a solo home run which was his first and so far only home run of his career. He was the first pitcher to throw a shutout and hit a home run on opening day since
Bob Lemon of the
Cleveland Indians did so against the
Chicago White Sox on April 14, 1953. Kershaw picked up his 1,000th career strikeout on April 17, when he struck out
Yonder Alonso of the Padres. He was the second youngest Dodger to reach that mark, behind only Fernando Valenzuela. On May 14, Kershaw passed the 1,000 inning mark for his career. His ERA of 2.70 at the time was the fifth-best of the
live-ball era at the 1,000-inning mark and the best career mark. He also threw 130 pitches that day, the most of his career and the most by a Dodger pitcher since
Odalis Pérez in the
2003 season. Kershaw was selected to the
All-Star Game, his third straight selection. In July, he compiled a 4–1 record and 1.34 ERA in six starts and was awarded his second
National League Pitcher of the Month Award. On September 2, Kershaw picked up his 200th strikeout, recording his fourth consecutive season with at least 200 strikeouts. Kershaw finished the season with a 16–9 record, 236 innings pitched (a career-high), and a major league-best 1.83 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He was the third player in history to lead the major leagues in ERA in three consecutive years, joining
Greg Maddux (1993–95) and
Lefty Grove (1929–31). His ERA was the first sub-2.00 ERA since
Roger Clemens did it in the
2005 season and the lowest overall since
Pedro Martínez in the
2000 season. Kershaw struck out 12 batters in seven innings in the first game of the
NLDS. His six straight strikeouts in the game tied an MLB postseason record set by
Tim Belcher in the second game of the
1988 World Series. He picked up his first career postseason victory in that game. Kershaw won the
Warren Spahn Award for 2013, the second time he had won the award, which honors the best left-handed pitcher in the MLB. On November 13, he won the
NL Cy Young Award for the second time in three seasons. He became just the sixth pitcher in history to finish in the top two in voting in three consecutive seasons. After the season, Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed on a seven-year, $215 million, contract extension. The deal was the richest in MLB history for a pitcher, eclipsing the seven-year, $180 million, contract signed by
Justin Verlander the previous year. The average annual value of $30.7 million was also the largest ever for a baseball player, beating the $28 million
Roger Clemens received in 2007 and the 10-year, $275 million contract that
Alex Rodriguez signed that same year.
2014 season: MVP and third Cy Young Award Kershaw made his fourth straight opening day start for the Dodgers in 2014, only the fourth Dodger ever to do so. This season the game was played at the
Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. Before his second start, Kershaw felt some pain in his back and was placed on the
disabled list for the first time in his career. He rejoined the Dodgers in early May. On June 18, he pitched a complete game
no-hitter against the
Colorado Rockies and struck out a career-high 15 batters. The only batter to reach base was due to an
error by
Hanley Ramírez in the top of the seventh inning. He is one of two pitchers in MLB history, along with Max Scherzer, with 15 strikeouts in a game while allowing no hits and no walks. It was the 22nd
no-hitter in Dodgers history. Kershaw was 6–0 with an 0.82 ERA in June and was awarded his third career Pitcher of the Month award. He was selected to the National League squad at the
All-Star Game, his fourth straight selection. Kershaw recorded a
scoreless innings streak of 41 innings which started on June 13 and ended in the top of the sixth inning on July 10 when, with two outs,
Chase Headley homered to left field at Dodger Stadium. At the time, the 41-inning streak was tied for the fifteenth-longest scoreless inning streak in MLB history. He won the pitcher of the month award again in July, the third Dodger (along with
Don Sutton and
Burt Hooton) to win it in two consecutive months. He was 4–0 with a 1.10 ERA in the month with 48 strikeouts and only 10 walks. He picked up his 200th strikeout of the season on September 2, the fifth consecutive year he had reached that number. He also became just the fourth pitcher since 1893 to have at least five 200-strikeout seasons through an age-26 season (
Bert Blyleven,
Walter Johnson and
Sam McDowell are the others). Kershaw finished the season 21–3 with a 1.77 ERA in 27 starts. He led the National League in numerous categories once again, such as ERA,
ERA+,
Wins, Win %,
WHIP, IP/GS,
SO/9,
Strikeout-to-walk ratio,
complete games,
FIP, and
Wins Above Replacement for both pitchers and all NL players. He also finished third in strikeouts despite missing most of the first month of the season. However, in his first start of the playoffs, in Game 1 of the
NLDS against the Cardinals, Kershaw became the first pitcher in history to strike out 10 while allowing eight runs. Allowing only two hits in the first six innings, both solo home runs, he surrendered six runs in the seventh. He was also the first pitcher in history to give up at least seven runs in back-to-back postseason starts (his previous one was Game 6 of the
2013 NLCS). Pitching on short rest in Game 4, he pitched well but lost after giving up a 3-run home run to
Matt Adams in the 7th inning. It was the first home run Kershaw had allowed in his career to a left-handed batter off his curveball. Kershaw was honored after the season with the player of the year awards from both
The Sporting News The following day, he was elected as the
NL MVP, the first National League pitcher to win the award since
Bob Gibson in
1968 and the first Dodgers player to win the award since
Kirk Gibson in
1988. He recorded his 1,500th career strikeout on May 10 when he fanned
Drew Stubbs of the
Colorado Rockies. Kershaw picked up his 100th career win on May 15 against the Rockies. He became the 22nd pitcher in franchise history, and the second-youngest active pitcher, to reach that mark. Kershaw won his sixth career NL Player of the Week award for the week of June 1–7, when he allowed only two runs on 10 baserunners in 15 innings while striking out 18 in two starts. Kershaw struck out a season-high 14 batters in eight shutout innings on July 18 against the Washington Nationals. He became the first Dodgers starter with back-to-back games of at least 13 strikeouts since
Chan Ho Park in
2000, and the first Dodgers pitcher with back-to-back games of double-digit strikeouts and no walks since
Dazzy Vance in
1930. He shared the NL Player of the Week honors with his teammate
Zack Greinke for the week of July 13–19 and won NL Pitcher of the Month for July. Kershaw picked up his 200th strikeout of the season on August 12, tying
Hideo Nomo's
1995 season for the fastest to that mark in Dodgers history at 156 innings; it was also his sixth straight 200-strikeout season. On October 4, Kershaw became the 11th player in MLB history to strike out 300 batters in a season, and the first player to do so since
Randy Johnson did it in 2002. He finished the season with a 16–7 record, a 2.13 ERA, and 301 strikeouts in innings. He rebounded in Game Four, earning the win on three days' rest by allowing one run and three hits against eight strikeouts in seven innings on October 13. Kershaw finished third in the National League
Cy Young Award voting, placing behind teammate
Zack Greinke and eventual winner
Jake Arrieta.
2016 season: Injury-plagued year against the
Chicago Cubs Kershaw made his sixth straight opening day start in 2016 as the Dodgers won 15–0. It also marked the first time the Dodgers had won six straight opening-day games, all of which he started. On May 12 against the New York Mets, he struck out 13 while pitching a three-hit complete-game shutout. He set an MLB record with six consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts and no more than one walk and a club record with six consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts. He picked up his 100th strikeout on May 29, while only walking five batters within that period. That was the lowest walk total for a pitcher reaching 100 strikeouts in the modern era, beating
Cliff Lee who had seven walks in the
2010 season. On June 30, Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to back pain. He received an MRI, which revealed that there was a mild herniated disc in the back, and received an epidural injection to treat the pain. He was named to the
All-Star team but was unable to pitch in the game due to his injury. On August 3, Kershaw was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. He rejoined the Dodger rotation on September 9. He started 21 games in 2016, with a 12–4 record and a 1.69 ERA. He also struck out 172 batters with 11 walks in 149 innings pitched. He next pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits, in Game 2 of the
NLCS against the
Chicago Cubs. He struggled in Game 6, allowing five runs in five innings to pick up the loss as the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs.
2017 season: First World Series appearance Kershaw made his seventh straight Opening Day start, tying
Don Sutton for most consecutive Opening Day starts, and Sutton and
Don Drysdale for most total opening day starts by a Dodger. On June 2, he struck out
Jonathan Villar of the Milwaukee Brewers for his 2,000th career strikeout. He was the fifth-youngest player in major league history to reach that mark, as well as the second-fastest pitcher to 2,000 strikeouts, accomplishing the feat in 277 games (behind
Randy Johnson's 262 games). He was named to his seventh straight
All-Star Game. On July 23, Kershaw left the game due to back tightness. The same day, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He returned to the mound on September 1, but despite his extended absence, he went on to lead the National League in earned run average and wins. He also led all major league pitchers in
first-strike percentage (69.4%). In the opener of the
NLDS against the
Arizona Diamondbacks, he allowed four solo home runs in innings but still picked up the win. The four home runs were tied for the most allowed in a postseason game. He made two starts in the
NLCS against the
Chicago Cubs, both Dodgers wins, including the clinching game five. He allowed three runs in 11 innings in the two games with nine strikeouts and only two walks. Kershaw started the opening game of the
World Series for the Dodgers against the
Houston Astros. He struck out 11 batters in the game without walking anyone and only allowed one run (a solo homer) on three hits to pick up the win. His 11 strikeouts were the third most ever by a Dodgers pitcher in a World Series game, after
Sandy Koufax (15 in
1963) and
Carl Erskine (14 in
1953). He made another start in the fifth game of the series, but he did not pitch as well this time, allowing six runs on four hits in innings. Notably, he threw 39 sliders and generated only one swing and miss all game. Although he received criticism after this start for his continued postseason struggles, the later revelation of the
Astros sign stealing scandal as a possible factor has complicated assessments of his performance in this game. He came back in game seven to pitch four scoreless innings of relief in the game, and in the process, he broke
Orel Hershiser's Dodgers post-season record with his 33rd strikeout. However, the Dodgers lost the game and the series. Kershaw was selected as a starting pitcher on
Baseball America's All-MLB Team and finished second in Cy Young Award voting.
2018 season: Second World Series appearance Kershaw made his team-record eighth opening-day start in 2018. He allowed only one run in six innings with seven strikeouts against the Giants but still lost the game 1–0. It was his first opening-day loss. On May 6, Kershaw was placed on the disabled list due to left biceps tendinitis. He returned to the team for one start on May 31, during which he experienced a recurrence of his chronic back pain and was put back on the disabled list. He rejoined the roster on June 23. He had a record of 9–5 with a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 2018, his lowest win total and highest ERA since 2010 and fewest strikeouts since his rookie season. He started the second game of the series and pitched eight scoreless innings while allowing only two hits. He then started the opener of the
2018 NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, but turned in the shortest postseason start of his career, replaced with no outs in the fourth inning after allowing five runs on six hits and two walks. He had better results in Game 5, pitching seven innings and allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out nine. He also walked twice as a batter, becoming just the third pitcher in the last 20 years to do so in a postseason game (after
Jon Lester in the
2016 NLCS and
Derek Lowe in the
2008 NLDS). Kershaw made two starts for the Dodgers in the
World Series against the
Boston Red Sox. In Game 1 he pitched four innings and gave up five runs in an 8–4 loss, and in Game 5 he pitched seven innings and allowed four runs, including three home runs as the Red Sox won the Series 4–1; it was the Dodgers' second straight World Series defeat. Kershaw's contract allowed him to opt out and become a free agent after the 2018 season, but on November 2 he and the team agreed to a new three-year, $93 million contract. This extended his previous contract by one year and $28 million.
2019 season: More injuries and an early playoff exit Kershaw experienced left shoulder inflammation early in spring training, causing him to be shut down and he did not begin throwing in spring until late. As a result, the Dodgers chose to place him on the injured list to begin the season, ending his Dodgers record streak of eight straight opening-day starts. He was selected to the
All-Star Game, his eighth all-star appearance. On August 14, Kershaw picked up his 165th career win on against the
Miami Marlins, tying Koufax for the most ever by a Dodger left-handed pitcher. He also struck out the first seven batters in the game, breaking a Dodger record previously held by
Andy Messersmith (
1973) and one short of the major league record. Kershaw picked up his 166th career win on August 20 against the
Toronto Blue Jays, passing Koufax for the most wins ever by a Dodger left-handed pitcher. That game also marked only the sixth time in his career that Kershaw gave up two home runs in the same game to the same batter,
Bo Bichette, and only the first time Kershaw did so to a rookie. Kershaw finished the 2019 regular season with a record of 16–5 with a 3.03 ERA with 189 strikeouts. In the
NLDS against the
Washington Nationals, Kershaw started Game 2 and entered Game 5 in relief. In Game 2, Kershaw pitched six innings and allowed three runs in a 4–2 loss. In Game 5, he entered the game in relief of
Walker Buehler with two outs in the seventh inning and struck out
Adam Eaton. In the eighth inning, Kershaw allowed home runs on back-to-back pitches to
Anthony Rendon and
Juan Soto to surrender a 3–1 lead, and the Nationals won the game and the series.
2020 season: First World Series championship Kershaw was scheduled to start on opening day in the season shorted by the
COVID-19 pandemic, but he hurt his back in the weight room and was placed on the injured list to start the season. Instead, rookie Dustin May got his first Opening Day nod. On August 20, he passed
Don Drysdale for the second-most strikeouts in franchise history. Kershaw started 10 games for the Dodgers in 2020, with a 6–2 record, 2.16 ERA and 62 strikeouts. In the
NLDS against the
San Diego Padres, he also started the second game and allowed three runs in six innings while striking out six. Kershaw was scratched from his scheduled Game 2 start in the
NLCS against the
Atlanta Braves because of back spasms and started Game 4 instead, where he allowed four runs in five innings for his first loss of the 2020 postseason. He started the first game of the
World Series against the
Tampa Bay Rays, tying
Greg Maddux for second place all-time with 11 postseason Game 1 starts. Kershaw allowed only one run in six innings in the game while striking out eight, in the process passing
John Smoltz for second place all-time in postseason strikeouts with 201. Kershaw started again in Game 5, pitching innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six in the game to pass
Justin Verlander for the most strikeouts in postseason history (207). The Dodgers went on to defeat the Rays in six games to win their first World Series championship since . After the season, Kershaw was named to the All-MLB Second Team.
2021 season: Third injury-plagued year Kershaw made his ninth opening day start for the Dodgers, after having missed doing so the previous two seasons because of injuries. He remained in the rotation until July 7, when he was placed on the injured list with left forearm inflammation, the first time in his career he had gone on the IL with an arm injury. Initially it was hoped he would only miss a short time, but he had setbacks in his rehab which necessitated a longer stint on the injured list. He finally rejoined the Dodgers rotation on September 13, allowing only one run in innings against the Diamondbacks. However, he experienced more arm pain in an October 1 game against the Brewers, causing him to leave the game in the second inning. An MRI showed no ligament damage, but Kershaw was placed back on the injured list and ruled out for the 2021 post-season. He started 22 games for the Dodgers during the season, with a 10–8 record and 3.55 ERA, the highest since his rookie season. In his first start of the season, on April 13 against the
Minnesota Twins, Kershaw struck out 13 batters in seven perfect innings before he was removed by the manager. Despite only being at 80 pitches, Kershaw said he agreed with the decision because he had not been built up due to a shortened spring training caused by the offseason
lockout. On April 30, Kershaw set the
Dodgers franchise strikeout record, striking out
Spencer Torkelson of the
Detroit Tigers to move past
Don Sutton. On July 15, Kershaw had another perfect game bid against the
Los Angeles Angels, where he threw seven perfect innings until it was broken up by a lead-off double by
Luis Rengifo in the eighth inning. Kershaw was chosen to start the
All-Star Game at
Dodger Stadium. It was his ninth All-Star selection and the first time he was chosen to start. In his one inning of work, he allowed one hit and one walk with a strikeout and picked off
Shohei Ohtani from first base. For the season, Kershaw made 22 starts and finished with a 12–3 record and 2.28 ERA. and in August due to an issue in his back. In the
NLDS, Kershaw started Game 2 against the
San Diego Padres, allowing three runs on seven hits across five innings. He left the game tied, with the Dodgers eventually losing the game and then losing the series to the Padres three games to one. Following the season, Kershaw again re-signed with the Dodgers, for one year and $15 million, with a $5 million signing bonus.
2023 season: Fourth injury-plagued year Before the 2023 season, Kershaw committed to pitch for the
United States in the
2023 World Baseball Classic but withdrew from the team in February, reportedly due to his inability to get insurance in case of injury. On April 18, Kershaw recorded his 200th career win against the
New York Mets, becoming the third pitcher in Dodgers history to accomplish that feat. For the month of April, Kershaw was selected as the
NL Pitcher of the Month. He struggled during the month of May, recording a 5.55 ERA, before rebounding in June. He was selected to the
All-Star Game, his tenth selection, tying
Pee Wee Reese for the most all-time by a Dodgers player. Before the All-Star break, he was placed on the injured list due to a sore left shoulder. On September 23, he picked up his 210th win, passing
Don Drysdale for second most in franchise history. Kershaw finished the regular season with a 13–5 record, 2.46 ERA and 137 strikeouts in innings, his highest total since the 2019 season. The Diamondbacks ended up sweeping the Dodgers in three games. In the offseason, on November 3, he underwent surgery on his left shoulder to repair the
glenohumeral ligaments and capsule.
2024 season: More injuries and career lows Kershaw stated that his recovery from surgery and injury would keep him out of game action for at least the first half of the season. Despite that, on February 9, 2024, he re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $10 million contract with a player option for the 2025 season. Kershaw was activated off the injured list on July 25 to make his season debut against the Giants. In his first start in 2024, he pitched four innings and struck out six batters against the Giants. On July 31, he lasted only innings in a loss to the Padres, allowing seven runs and failing to record a strikeout for the first time during a start. On August 12, Kershaw got his first win of the season against the Brewers, where he pitched innings, giving up three hits and one earned run, while striking out six batters. On August 31, Kershaw was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a bone spur in his left big toe. That injury kept him sidelined for the remainder of the regular season and the entire postseason. He only managed to make seven starts in 2024, pitching 30 innings with a 2–2 record and 4.50 ERA, all career lows. After the season, he revealed that he would undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee as well as for a ruptured plantar plate and bone spurs in his left big toe. On November 4, he declined the 2025 player option on his contract, making him a free agent.
2025 season: 3,000 strikeouts and final season (left) and President
Donald Trump (far right) at the
White House in April 2025. On February 13, 2025, Kershaw again re-signed with the Dodgers, on a one-year, $7.5 million contract, that also included roster and game-started bonuses. His 18th season with the Dodgers matched the longest for any player in franchise history, joining
Zack Wheat and
Bill Russell. He also became the 59th player in MLB history to spend 18 seasons with one team. After beginning the season on the injured list while recovering from his off-season surgery, Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers active roster on May 17. In his first game back, he allowed five earned runs on five hits while recording three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. On June 8, Kershaw got his first win of the season, pitching five innings, allowing six hits and one earned run, and striking out seven batters against the Cardinals. Kershaw picked up his 3,000th career strikeout on July 2, against
Vinny Capra of the
Chicago White Sox. He became the 20th pitcher and fourth left-handed pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark as well as the fifth to do so as a member of one team. He was selected to the
All-Star Game as a legends pick by MLB commissioner
Rob Manfred, his 11th all-star selection. On September 18, 2025, Kershaw announced he would retire at the end of the season, one day before making his final regular season Dodger Stadium start, against the Giants. His final MLB start was on the last day of the 2025 season, September 28, against the
Seattle Mariners. He pitched scoreless innings, struck out seven, and allowed only four hits and one walk. He struck out the last batter he faced,
Eugenio Suárez, for the 3,052nd and last strikeout of his career. He finished his final season with an 11–2 record, 3.36 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 23 games. His final career appearance was in the top of the 12th inning of the third game of the
World Series against the
Toronto Blue Jays. He entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs to face
Nathan Lukes and got him to ground out to end the inning. The Dodgers went on to win the series in seven games, the team's third title during his career.
2026 World Baseball Classic Despite retiring from MLB, Kershaw joined
Team USA at the
2026 World Baseball Classic. He pitched in an exhibition game against the
Colorado Rockies but not in any WBC games in the tournament, in which the U.S. won the silver medal. ==Post-playing career==