Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw shows the game ball to Manager Dave Roberts before being removed during the fifth inning of their game against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the final regular-season appearance for Kershaw, who said he will retire at the end of the season. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

LOS ANGELES — Don’t make it weird.

That was Clayton Kershaw’s demand from his teammates, leading into his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium. They didn’t – though Kershaw might have thought otherwise when they hung back in the dugout at the start of the game, leaving Kershaw alone on the mound to soak up one of many ovations Friday night.

But they did make it memorable.

Displaying the vulnerability of

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