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Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw announced in September that he will retire after this season.
Kershaw, 37, posted a career 2.53 ERA over 18 seasons, which is the lowest by any MLB pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920) with at least 1,000 innings.
Tom “Flash” Gordon, a former MLB star, told Pak Gazette Digital that Kershaw should be a First Ball Hall of Famer.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw waves his cap as he leaves during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners. The game took place in Seattle, Washington on September 28, 2025. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
“I’ll tell you this, if he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, then you know, I didn’t play 21 years in the league, and I and I aren’t talking today. And I know that’s what we’re doing right now,” Gordon told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
Gordon saw a lot of Kershaw because his son, Dee Strange-Gordon, played with the Dodgers for four seasons.
“I watched a lot of Clayton because, you know, of course Dee was there, but the way the guy did it, the way the guy came out on the mound after taking care of things before he pitched to me,” Gordon said.
“He’s an elite athlete, but he exemplified that by the way he took the ball, the way he put the Dodgers in the playoffs and put them on their backs for years.”
Kershaw joined the illustrious 3,000-hit club earlier this season and is one of 11 pitchers to win the Cy Young Award three times. He led the National League in ERA five times.
Gordon said Kershaw elevated his teammates with his performance.
“I always learned, and I learned this from (being) around Roger Clemens and (Bret) Saberhague as a pitcher, that when you have a guy like that, everything else you have. You can learn to play, pitch, become a better player because that guy is going to guarantee you for the most part, the Bullpen is not going to be stretched,” Gordon said.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw waves as he leaves during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners. The game took place in Seattle, Washington on September 28, 2025. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
“That’s what Pedro Martínez was, that’s what I see Kershaw as. A Pedro Martínez caliber, Roger Clemens Caliber, Bret Saberhagen Caliber, even better.”
Kershaw won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024, and Gordon wants the left-handed pitcher to end his career as a champion.
“If they play well enough to do well enough, that way you can, you can get one more World Series playoff championship. I mean, it would be, it would be amazing, it would be icing on the cake,” Gordon said.
The Dodgers are 2-0 at the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, and Kershaw has yet to pitch this postseason. He is available out of the bullpen.
Kershaw appeared in 23 games this season and posted an 11-2 record with a 3.36 ERA.
Game 3 of the NLDS is at 9:08 PM ET on Wednesday.
Gordon’s son, Dee-Strange Gordon, played 11 seasons in the majors. He made two All-Star teams in his career, and had a career batting average of .286, while playing strong defense at shortstop and second base.
Former Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon is honored on the field during a pregame ceremony before a Triple-A minor league baseball game between the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs and the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 18, 2023. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tom Gordon is now heavily involved with Perfect Game, the largest and most comprehensive scouting organization in the world. He has a podcast, “Entries of Life,” debuting soon.
Gordon traveled the country in an RV, built with a custom podcast studio, where he interviews current and former baseball players, managers and executives.
Gordon played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball, was a three-time All-Star and recorded 54 consecutive saves, which set an MLB record at the time.
