Dodgers 6, Mariners 1: Clayton Kershaw goes 5.1 shutout in the final (regular season) appearance of his career

Chad Moriyama 09/28/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

Game 162 of the 2025 season was meaningless in terms of the playoff sorting, but it was still a must-watch affair as Clayton Kershaw took the mound for his last regular season start and appearance. He didn’t disappoint either, as he went 5.1 shutout innings as the Mariners struggled to do any damage against him. Kershaw also continued to get backing from the offense, as a trio of homers completed the sweep to end the year and sent him off with a 6-1 Dodgers win.

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Obviously the game was special from the start, and his family was on hand to witness it, along with former pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and former catcher A.J. Ellis.

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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) September 28, 2025 at 9:11 AM

His wife was even on the mic during the game, giving live reactions.

For the most part, his start was uneventful in a good way. He allowed a double and walk in the 3rd, and uncorked a wild pitch after a single for the only other runner he allowed past first. That play also led to a rather humorous Ben Rortvedt mistake.

Kershaw, of course, worked around those jams to keep a zero on the board. He then came out to get one batter in the 6th and did exactly that, ending his career on a strikeout of Eugenio Suarez. Instead of Dave Roberts, it was Freddie Freeman who came to take him out, as he exited to a standing ovation.

Going out still highly effective: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 94 Pitches.

In the dugout, Freddie told him he wanted the ball, but that wasn’t happening.

Relieving Kershaw was Landon Knack, who retired six in a row to start his outing. That ended when he issued a one-out walk in the 8th, then gave up a single to corner things up. Suarez then grounded out to plate their only run of the game, and Knack got a strikeout to end the inning. 6-1 Dodgers at that point.

He continued to save the pen with a scoreless 9th to end things and get a three-inning save.

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Offensively, the Dodgers supported him as they have all year.

After stranding a lead-off Shohei Ohtani double in the 1st, a Michael Conforto lead-off walk in the 2nd was cashed in by a two-out homer from Hyeseong Kim, his third of the year to make it 2-0.

After Ohtani singled to start the 3rd, Freddie smacked a two-run homer (24th) of his own to double the lead at 4-0.

They went quiet for the next three innings, but that was broken in the 7th when Shohei notched his third hit of the game, his 55th homer of the year to break his own franchise record and make it 5-0.

More insurance was added in the 8th, as Dalton Rushing led off with a double to give himself a five-game hitting streak, and later Andy Pages singled to make it 6-0.

That was all, but obviously more than enough.

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Old friend Caleb Ferguson also made this unique play.

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That’s a wrap on 2025, as the Dodgers got to 93-69, their lowest win total since 2018, yet they finish with the fifth-best record in baseball.

The Dodgers will now travel home during the day off to prepare for the three-game National League Wild Card Series against the Reds. It’ll start at 3:08 PM HT/6:08 PM PT/9:08 PM ET, and it seems like it’ll be Shohei Ohtani against Hunter Greene in Game 1.

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