LOS ANGELES — A glorious chapter in Dodgers history has just come to a close, and perhaps no one felt the moment more deeply than Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw’s close teammate for nearly a decade. When Kershaw announced his retirement, Turner immediately sent a message that left the entire Dodgers community choked up:
“Very happy for him, what a career. I just can’t say enough about what he’s done for the career of baseball.”
In a quiet winter in Los Angeles, that shared message rang like a farewell bell for an icon. Turner and Kershaw have been through it all together — from the Dodgers’ bitter defeat to the moment they hoisted their first World Series ring in 2020. They’re not just teammates, they’re brothers, inseparable pieces of a journey that has defined the Dodgers for a decade.
Turner and Kershaw came to the Dodgers in different ways but came together in the sacred blue jersey. Turner, the red-bearded veteran, joined the team in 2014. Kershaw, who soon established himself as one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, became the heart of the rotation. They stuck together for nine seasons — nine years filled with long nights on the mound, many afternoons in the gym, and countless moments that only those who experienced them together can truly appreciate.
Turner once said, “Kershaw was always the guy I looked to when the team needed hope. He never gave up, no matter how much pressure there was.”
These words now ring out as a farewell not only for a teammate, but also for a part of Turner’s own youth.
Kershaw leaves behind a near-perfect career: Cy Young Awards, MVPs, ERAs that are almost impossible for most contemporary pitchers, and most importantly, an example of humility, dedication, and ethics from a man who had his heart in baseball and his community.
In his message to Kershaw, Turner emphasized that statistics, titles, victories… are not enough to describe what Kershaw has contributed.
He’s not talking about records.
He’s not talking about historic games.
He’s talking about the person — the friend, the quiet leader who lifted the team’s spirits in the darkest of times.
That’s what Dodgers fans have always seen in Kershaw: a heart bigger than the legends he’s surpassed in the record books.
Turner’s message set social media ablaze. Dodgers fans shared photos of the two embracing after the 2020 championship, moments of beaming smiles in the dugout, and behind-the-scenes footage that proved their friendship was real.
Many fans wrote:
“When Turner spoke about Kershaw, it wasn’t the words of a teammate — it was the words of someone who had lost a piece of the Dodgers soul.”
In the world of sports, farewells sometimes feel like farewells. But this time, thanks to Turner, it felt like a heartfelt thank you — a thank you to a legend, to someone who made the Dodgers a family, to an icon who brought light to a generation.
Kershaw is gone, but his legacy lives on. Turner knows it. Dodgers fans know it. MLB knows that.
And when Turner says,
“I can’t say enough about what he’s done for baseball,”
the baseball world understands that sometimes greatness isn’t about pitching, but about how a person inspires, lifts, and makes everyone around them better.
Clayton Kershaw did just that — for nine years alongside Justin Turner, and throughout his unlikely career.
The Dodgers lost a pitcher.
But the baseball world will forever retain a legend.
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