The first batter Clayton Kershaw faced on Friday homered. But it was clear that in his 450th career start and his last at home park in the regular season, nothing and no one was going to ruin his night.

Clayton Kershaw pitched with elegance before being substituted in the fifth inning in an unforgettable moment at Dodger Stadium, and Shohei Ohtani hit his 52nd home run of the year, leading the Dodgers to a 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Although the 37-year-old Kershaw had a no-decision in the game, his farewell performance for the Los Angeles fans was nearly perfect, including sending the Dodgers to the playoffs for the 13th consecutive year, one of the longest streaks in major league history.

“I think the only thing I can say right now is thank you all so much,” Kershaw told the fans in a postgame interview. “Thank you for 18 years. It hasn’t always been pretty, but you were always there for me. Thank you so much. We have one more month!”

24-hour earthquake for the Dodgers and their fans

It’s been a very intense year for the Dodgers in their defense of their World Series championship. But as we wait to see what happens with them in October, the past 24 hours have been like an earthquake. The Dodgers suddenly announced Thursday that Kershaw will retire as a player at the end of the current season.

Kershaw himself explained his reasons in a press conference Thursday, saying that it’s the right time to retire. The winner of 222 games and three Cy Young Awards is leaving on his own terms, with the opportunity to be properly sent off and celebrated as one of the greatest Dodgers in history.

Kershaw is expected to start one more game this season, but it will be on the road, possibly in Seattle. And it's possible Kershaw will pitch again at Dodger Stadium in the playoffs, but it might not be as a starting pitcher. The perfect occasion to be celebrated by his fans was Friday, and he certainly received a lot of love from the fans and his teammates.

Kershaw's fifth-inning exit

With one out in the fifth inning and the Giants up 2-1, manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound to relieve the illustrious Kershaw. They hugged, and Roberts made sure Kershaw got the ball. As he left the diamond, Kershaw said goodbye to the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation all night.

His performance lasted 4.1 innings, with 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, and 4 walks. Puerto Rican Heliot Ramos, the first batter of the game, homered off Kershaw, who entered the field alone before the game, as all his teammates stayed for a few moments in the dugout in a show of great respect.

Ohtani and Betts home runs back to back

The Dodgers turned the scoreboard around in that fifth inning with a three-run homer by Shohei Ohtani, his 52nd exactly one year after he opened the club 50-50 in a game against the Marlins in Miami.

The stadium was still celebrating the Japanese blast when Mookie Betts also homered. Back-to-back home runs made the score 5-2.

Four Los Angeles relievers took care of the rest, with the win for Venezuelan Edgardo Henriquez (2-1), the man who relieved Kershaw, and the save (22) for left-hander Tanner Scott, who is starting to look better after a very bad stretch on the mound. Robbie Ray (11-8) was the lost pitcher.

Los Angeles' magic number is 4. A new celebration is around the corner and this time it will be with champagne in the locker room.