Dodgers Interview: Freddie Freeman on Kershaw’s farewell

LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman has shared a dugout with a lot of great pitchers, but even he sounded a little awed Thursday when the subject turned to Clayton Kershaw’s retirement and Friday’s goodbye start at Dodger Stadium. For Freeman, the magnitude of the moment begins with the rarity of a legend choosing his own exit. As he put it, “To be able to go out on your own terms, that’s really hard to do—not only in this game, but in any sport. It’s special.” He expects the response to match the occasion, adding, “He deserves everything he’s going to get from the fans tomorrow. I know all he wants to do is pitch well, but whatever happens out there, it’s Clayton Kershaw’s night, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Freeman has seen the crowd rise for Kershaw more times than he can count, and he isn’t about to predict how the script will play out this time. “I don’t know what you can really expect or how it’s going to go,” he said. “He just wants to pitch good. That’s all he wants to do.” Then he widened the lens to the full scope of a franchise icon’s tenure: “The fans—18 years getting to watch him pitch. What is it, like 230-something starts here in this stadium in the regular season, all the postseason games, all the innings he’s thrown. Every time he said yes to taking the ball—short rest, everything. He’s laid everything out there on that mound.”

That, more than anything, is what Freeman believes Friday will honor: the habits and the hardness behind the highlights. The image isn’t just the curveball buckling another hitter; it’s a career of answering the call. “Tomorrow, not only from us, but I’m sure everybody in this stadium, the city, the state—everybody who’s just a fan of baseball—is going to wrap their arms around Clayton Kershaw,” he said.

The announcement came with enough runway for emotions to catch up with logistics, and Freeman didn’t hide the galvanizing effect this can have down the stretch. Asked whether the news can be a rallying cry, he didn’t overcomplicate it: “You can use any inspiration you can to get through. It’s a long season. We’ve been going about this since February.” Then he circled back to what Kershaw still means on the field, even in Year 18. “It’s just amazing—18 years—and we needed every single one of his starts this year. Every five days we counted on him. We needed him. He’s 10–2 in your 18th season—it’s pretty special. And I have a feeling he’s going to go out on a good one tomorrow.”

Kershaw himself suggested that getting the emotional piece done the day before might help him lock in. Freeman smiled at the idea but wasn’t entirely convinced. “I don’t think it’s over,” he admitted when asked if the hard part had already passed. Pressed on whether Kershaw can compartmentalize, Freeman nodded to the résumé that says he can. “I’m sure he can. Three thousand strikeouts. He’s gone through a lot this year in that game and trying to strike people out. He’s done some incredible things in his career. I just know he wants to pitch well.”

Freeman also hinted at the practical side of navigating a day like this—media, meetings, family moments—before first pitch. “I know he was wanting to get through today and hopefully that settles him down and he’ll have a good day tomorrow,” he said. In other words, keep the routine, breathe through the noise, and let the baseball take over.

If Friday is a celebration of greatness, it’s also a reminder of the standards Kershaw set and the culture he reinforced—availability, accountability, competitiveness. Freeman’s catalog of examples—“every time he said yes to taking the ball… short rest, everything”—isn’t nostalgia so much as a to-do list for the rest of the clubhouse. The Dodgers have been leaning on those standards through injuries and attrition all season. They’ll lean on them even more now, with a legend taking his last turn and a postseason sprint directly ahead.

There will be tributes, ovations, and the kind of decibel level that makes your chest hum. There may be tears. But if Freeman has it right, Kershaw will try to keep it simple: throw the ball, trust the plan, compete. “He just wants to pitch well,” Freeman repeated, almost like a mantra, before allowing himself a final glimpse at the bigger picture. “Whatever happens, it’s his night.”

Tomorrow belongs to Kershaw—one more walk from the left-field bullpen, one more doff of the cap, one more chance to turn seven stitches and 60 feet, 6 inches into something timeless. And judging by the first baseman who has seen plenty, the Dodgers, and the city around them, are ready to carry him there.

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