After 18 seasons, Clayton Kershaw is officially calling it a career. The Dodgers announced Thursday that Kershaw will be retiring from MLB at the end of this season, and will make his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the Giants.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has been able to spend the final four seasons of Kershaw's career with him after joining Los Angeles in 2022. Freeman, who counted down the strikeouts Kershaw needed to reach the 3,000 milestone this season, spoke about Kershaw's impending retirement ahead of Thursday's game against the Giants.

"It's incredible, even in his 18th year, we've counted on him every fifth or sixth day in this season alone," Freeman said. "He's not a Dodgers legend, he's a baseball legend forever. The greatest pitcher of our generation."

"I think you could sense he just wanted to go out on his own terms," Freeman continued. "Having the toe injury, the knee surgery, everything he went through last year, he wanted to make sure he came back and gave it one more run. Now he gets to retire on his own terms. ... Tomorrow night, what a special night it's gonna be. Rightfully so, he deserves every single thing he gets. It's gonna be sad, It's gonna be weird next year when you don't see No. 22 walking around, but I know he'll be around."

Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Freeman has kept the secret of Kershaw's retirement for about a month. He added that he was surprised that Kershaw actually announced his decision instead of retiring quietly.

Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy added, “I know it’s reality, but I still don’t that I believe it. For as long as I’ve been here, it’s been 22," via Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times.

After dealing with injuries in recent seasons, Kershaw will retire after a strong 2025 campaign, going out on his own accord. He's left an indelible legacy on the Dodgers and all of baseball, and will go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. The future Hall of Famer will get to have his career celebrated one last time on Friday at Dodger Stadium, and after everything Kershaw has done for the franchise over nearly two decades, it's sure to be a special night.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Freddie Freeman Had Heartfelt Reaction to Clayton Kershaw Announcing Retirement.

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