Just before the start of the last season's MLB Playoffs, Clayton Kershaw announced that he would be hanging up his glove at the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers' season.

For one of the most storied pitchers in not just LA history, but baseball as a whole, how did Kershaw know it was time to throw in the towel instead of throwing another season? Well, in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Kershaw explained his process, which simply came down to his ability to do the job.

“Yeah, my velo kind of stopped going up, you know, about six or seven years ago. And then slowly the deterioration happened. So I don't think it was like a one-year thing. I think it was just over time. And then, you know, I started having surgeries, and that's no fun to have to rehab and all that stuff. But, you know, every offseason when you go and throw bullpens in the offseason, you're throwing, you know, 82, 83. And you're like, man, I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it, get to 90 this year,” Kershaw told McAfee and company.

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“And then, you know, just keep going with that route every offseason. And then finally this past offseason, I was like, you know what? This feels like it's the right time. This is just getting harder and harder to gear up and go. And like you said, I love playing. I love playing baseball. I love baseball so much. I love those guys. And I love the Dodgers so much. I would have played as long as my arm would have let me. But I think this is my arm told me it was time.”

While the decision was obviously hard for everyone involved, as Kershaw spent the entirety of his almost two decades in professional baseball in Chavez Ravine, the writing was on the wall during the regular season that the southpaw was nearing the end of his run, as his arm lost both velosity and longevity, leading to a limited role in the postseason including just one World Series appearances and 2.1 innings pitched overall. With one more chance to throw as a member of America's World Baseball Classic squad, it's safe to say all baseball fans will come together to root for No. 22.