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<\/p>\nLOS ANGELES \u2013 There was a time when Clayton Kershaw controlled the tempo of a game with a slow walk to the mound and a glance in for the sign. On Thursday night, just steps from that same dugout he once owned, he controlled something else entirely \u2014 the conversation.<\/p>\n
Kershaw made his broadcasting debut on NBC and Peacock as the Los Angeles Dodgers handled the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8\u20132. The headset looked natural on him. So did the perspective.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI had a good time, it was fun doing it,\u201d Kershaw said, sounding less like a future Hall of Famer trying something new and more like a veteran already comfortable in his second act.<\/p>\n
That second act, as it turns out, will have layers.<\/p>\n
Kershaw isn\u2019t disappearing into retirement. Not fully. Not from this organization. Not from this game.<\/p>\n
While his NBC appearance was a one-off \u2014 at least until August \u2014 it offered a glimpse into one lane of his post-playing life. The other became official just a day later: Kershaw is returning to the Dodgers as a special assistant to the front office, working alongside president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think I’ll be involved somehow,\u201d Kershaw said. \u201cProbably not physically here in L.A., but definitely for sure I\u2019ll watch games. I still want to be part of the Dodgers.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fitting evolution. Kershaw was never just an ace \u2014 he was an institutional figure. For more than a decade, he defined the Dodgers\u2019 standard, their tone, their accountability. Now, he transitions into something less visible but potentially just as impactful: a voice in the room.<\/p>\n
Not in uniform. Not in the dugout. But present.<\/p>\n
And make no mistake \u2014 that distinction matters to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not coaching,\u201d he said plainly. \u201cI\u2019m going to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That line tells you everything about how Kershaw views this phase. He isn\u2019t chasing the adrenaline of competition anymore. He isn\u2019t flirting with a comeback, even as the Dodgers open a season with championship expectations and the backdrop of a World Series ring ceremony.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no I have no interest in playing,\u201d he said. \u201cI like being around everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a moment during batting practice Friday that said more than any quote could. Kershaw, bat in hand, casually took a few swings in the open. Later, he stood behind home plate, scanning the stadium. Not as a pitcher preparing for his next start \u2014 just as someone remembering.<\/p>\n
He insists he doesn\u2019t miss the game.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t miss the game at all,\u201d Kershaw said. \u201cI just miss the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s the truest version of retirement any athlete can reach \u2014 not longing for the grind, but still feeling the pull of the clubhouse.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw talks to the media prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw talks to the media prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n
For Kershaw, that pull is now answered in a different way. A broadcast here. A front office conversation there. A presence that doesn\u2019t require a five-day routine or a radar gun.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some freedom with retirement,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIf you don\u2019t want to work out, you don\u2019t have to. If your back hurts, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
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For the first time in years, Kershaw\u2019s schedule won\u2019t revolve around pitch counts, rehab timelines, or October readiness. The World Baseball Classic had delayed that feeling \u2014 even in what was technically his offseason, there was still preparation, still purpose tied to performance.<\/p>\n
Now, with the 2026 season underway, that structure is gone.<\/p>\n
What replaces it is something quieter, but no less meaningful: perspective.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers don\u2019t get Kershaw the pitcher anymore. That chapter is closed, by his own choice and with full clarity.<\/p>\n
But they do get Kershaw the observer. The advisor. The institutional voice who understands exactly what it means to wear that uniform \u2014 and what it takes to win in it.<\/p>\n
And every now and then, they might get Kershaw the broadcaster, smiling into a headset, reminding everyone that even legends can find new ways to stay close to the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES \u2013 There was a time when Clayton Kershaw controlled the tempo of a game with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[22,5,2056,1147,2196,57,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-647877","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-brandon-gomes","11":"tag-clayton-kershaw","12":"tag-dodger-stadium","13":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","14":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116304627927841672","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}