Friday night was filled with celebration at Dodger Stadium as the team paid tribute to pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the final regular season start of his career.

Kershaw announced his intention to retire at the end of this year’s campaign earlier in the week, after spending 18 seasons in the majors, all with the Dodgers. He will go down in history as one of the best pitchers the game has ever seen.

The tributes for Kershaw started early, with his teammates allowing him to take the field alone at the start of the game to soak in the praise from the crowd. After a bit of time on the mound, Kershaw cheekily encouraged his teammates to join him out on the field.

Listen to this ovation.

On the mound, Kershaw delivered a strong performance for his final act, though it started out a bit rough. Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos apparently didn’t get the memo that it was Kershaw’s big night, and hit a leadoff home run to start the game.

But Kershaw would settle in from there, pitching 4 1/3 innings and giving up two runs while striking out six. He would not be credited with the win, but the Dodgers would score enough late to seal the victory for the team.

After the game, Kershaw was again praised by the crowd, and offered his thanks back to the fans that had cheered him on for nearly two decades.

For Kershaw and the Dodgers, the journey isn’t over quite yet. With the win, Los Angeles clinched their spot in the postseason, where they will look to defend their World Series title.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Pay Classy Tribute to Clayton Kershaw in Final Regular Season Start of His Career.

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