The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series in seven games against the Toronto Blue Jays. The deciding contest came down to the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 7 with the Jays in a position to win the game with runners in scoring position. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was able to mitigate the damage and close the door in Toronto, clinching the Dodgers’ second straight World Series title and third in six years with a 5-4 win at the Rogers Centre.
And Clayton Kershaw apparently didn’t even get to experience the last out of his active MLB career because he was in the bullpen, wondering if his final pro baseball appearance would be going down as a hero or the scapegoat.
Kershaw revealed on the “On Base With Mookie Betts” podcast that bullpen coach Josh Bard had to tell him to stop warming up because the game was over and his team won the World Series.
“I had no idea we won the World Series. I was warming up, and I saw Vladdy hit the double, so I started getting going faster. I didn’t see Kiner-Falefa bunted. I didn’t see that. So I saw Barger is on first with the walk, so Kirk grounds into the double play, and I’m thinking, two outs, run scores, game is tied. We’ve got a lefty, Varsho up, I’m in the game. And then Bardo is in my face, ‘Why are you throwing? It’s over. We won the World Series,’” Kershaw recalled.
“He was the one telling me we won the World Series. I looked out and I looked at him, and he said, ‘We won the World Series!’ I was like, ‘Oh, OK. That’s great.’ I had no idea.”
In a way, it’s a fitting end for Kershaw. He was too focused on his job that he didn’t realize his teammates helped him win it all. For a starting pitcher who won the NL MVP award in 2014, it’s not shocking to see him so honed in on his craft.
At the same time, it would’ve been nice for the 18-year veteran to see the moment he got to retire a world champion. Kershaw announced in September that he’d be retiring at the end of the 2025 postseason.
Kershaw will always have the hardware to commemorate his final season ending in a championship, even if he didn’t see the moment he officially became a three-time champ.