Clayton Kershaw will be riding off into the sunset at the end of the season, as he announced over a month ago. And there's no better way for the Los Angeles Dodgers to send off one of the greatest players in franchise history and future Hall of Famer than with another World Series title, which would be his third. Alas, the Dodgers now have their backs against the wall, as they lost Game 5 of the World Series, 6-1, putting them down 3-2 with the Fall Classic headed back to Rogers Centre.
The Dodgers could not come through in their final home game of the season. It would have been great for Kershaw to see his team come out with a win in his final appearance in Dodger Stadium as a member of the squad. But still, he received plenty of love from the home crowd that's followed him since he started his career in 2008, as he made the walk from the bullpen to the dugout to much applause after the final out, as per David Vassegh of SportsNet LA.
Clayton Kershaw takes in Dodger Stadium one last time after Game 5 👏pic.twitter.com/8TTJwcPdHE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2025
Clayton Kershaw says goodbye to Dodger Stadium 🥹 pic.twitter.com/n8HZIRXJoc
— MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2025
Kershaw may no longer be one of the players manager Dave Roberts calls upon to pitch in the toughest of situations, but he remains a valuable member of the Dodgers roster all the same. He's barely played in this year's postseason, but he did come up clutch in their marathon Game 3 win when he induced a groundball out from Nathan Lukes with the bases loaded for the Blue Jays in the top of the 12th inning.
It's not quite clear if Kershaw will appear in Game 6 or whether he'd make a brief cameo in Game 7 should the Dodgers get there. But if Kershaw already threw his final-ever big-league pitch, then he at least went out on a great note.
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers look to extend World Series to winner-takes-all Game 7
Game 5 was very tough for the Dodgers, as they couldn't seem to muster any sort of offense against Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage. They could only manage four hits on the night, and the only run they scored came off of a solo shot from postseason hero Kike Hernandez.
But it's not over until it's over; the Blue Jays faced a 3-2 deficit in the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners and managed to come back from that in grand fashion. Can the Dodgers pull something out of Toronto's playbook and repeat as World Series champion even if the odds aren't in their favor?
