Dodgers Leave All-Star Off Wild Card Series Roster
Kershaw, who announced he would retire at the end of this season, will not be on the Dodgers’ roster for their National League Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Teams typically need only three starting pitchers in the best-of-three series. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Games 1 and 2 for the Dodgers, while Shohei Ohtani will start the if-necessary Game 3, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday in Los Angeles.
That leaves no room for Kershaw, who might not pitch again in his Hall of Fame career if the Dodgers do not advance to the National League Division Series.
If the Dodgers do advance, Roberts said Kershaw will be on the Dodgers’ NLDS roster.
The Wild Card round begins Tuesday. The Cincinnati Reds clinched visit to Los Angeles on the final day of the regular season Sunday.
Kershaw, 37, ended the usual suspense around his retirement by announcing last week that this will be his final season. A three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and former MVP, Kershaw has spent his entire 18-year career in Los Angeles.
Sunday in Seatle, Kershaw limited the Mariners to four hits in 5.1 scoreless innings, the exclamation mark on a Hall of Fame career. He’ll finish with 223 wins, a 2.53 ERA, 3,052 strikeouts, and more Wins Above Replacement than any player in the history of the Dodgers franchise.
Despite missing almost all of 2024 with injuries, Kershaw was generally excellent across 22 starts this season. He finished 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA, and could start early in the NLDS if the Dodgers advance.
If not, Sunday’s sendoff in Seattle will have to suffice as the last hurrah of Kershaw’s storybook career.