Some players wear a uniform. Clayton Kershaw became one. Since 2008 he has thrown every one of his major league pitches in Dodger blue, which is rare enough on its own and nearly extinct at the level he pitched at — three Cy Young awards, an MVP, a perfect-game-adjacent no-hitter, and the 3,000th strikeout of his career recorded in front of a home crowd at Chavez Ravine. A Clayton Kershaw jersey is one of the few modern purchases that already feels like a throwback.
If you are deciding between the blue Authentic Collection, the black fashion cut, or one of the specialty versions, here is how they differ and which one is likely to get worn.
Why number 22 sells differently
Kershaw's case is not built on one season. It is built on a decade and a half of being the reason people arrived at the ballpark early. The curveball, the pause at the top of the delivery, the refusal to leave in free agency — those are the details Dodgers fans attach to the number, and they are why demand for his jersey never tracked his velocity.
There is also the championship layer. The 2020 title ended a 32-year wait, and Kershaw won two starts in that World Series after years of being told he could not. For a lot of fans, a Kershaw jersey is shorthand for that October specifically — which puts it in a different emotional bracket than a jersey bought because someone is hitting well this month.
The Kershaw jerseys worth comparing
Royal blue Authentic Collection. The one he actually pitched in. Clean blue body, white number 22, script across the chest. If you want the jersey to be immediately legible as Dodgers to anyone who sees it, this is the pick — and it is the version that will still look correct in fifteen years, because the Dodgers have barely changed their uniform template since the 1950s.
Black fashion jerseys. Never a game uniform, and that is the appeal. Black bodies with contrast numbering are the easiest version to wear away from the stadium, and they photograph well at night. The Authentic Collection black cut uses heavier fabric and cleaner stitching than the standard fashion version — worth the difference if you plan to wear it hard.
Specialty runs. USA flag treatments and autographed pieces sit in their own category. These are limited by nature, sizes go first, and they are bought for different reasons than a daily-wear jersey. If you already own the blue, this is where the collection goes next.
The practical split: blue if the jersey is going to games, black if it is going everywhere else, specialty if you already have both.
Sizing a baseball jersey
Baseball jerseys are built to hang over an undershirt, so they run roomier than a t-shirt in the same size. Order your normal shirt size for the traditional look, or drop one size for a closer modern fit — especially on fashion cuts, which are often worn open.
Three checks when it arrives:
- Shoulder seam on the corner of the shoulder, not halfway down the arm.
- Chest buttons cleanly over a tee with no strain at the placket.
- Length runs longer than basketball or football jerseys — plan for that if you wear it untucked.
These rules hold across the Dodgers catalog, so cross-shopping is easy. The fit notes in our guide to the Shohei Ohtani Dodgers jersey transfer directly, since the pitching and position-player cuts share the same base pattern.
Care that keeps blue from going gray
Royal blue fades faster than most people expect, and once it goes chalky there is no bringing it back. Four habits prevent it:
- Cold water, inside out, gentle cycle. Heat is what strips the dye.
- Wash with similar colors. Blue picks up lint from towels and light fabrics readily.
- Hang dry on a wide hanger. Dryers curl the edges of stitched numbering and dull the finish.
- Steam rather than iron. If you must press, use a cloth and stay off the numbers entirely.
Hang it in the closet instead of folding it. A crease across the 22 is permanent enough to be annoying every time you put the jersey on.
Wearing it on game day
The blue jersey needs almost nothing around it. Buttoned over a white or gray tee, straight jeans, white sneakers, blue cap — that combination has been the Dodger Stadium standard for two generations and it still works.
Black gives you more freedom. Open over a black tee with dark denim, the jersey reads as an outer layer rather than fan gear, which is what most people want when the destination is a bar rather than the bleachers.
Los Angeles evenings drop fast once the sun goes behind the pavilion, so layer underneath the jersey rather than over it. A hoodie under a jersey keeps the number visible and actually improves how the fabric hangs.
Where Kershaw fits in a Dodgers closet
Most collections in Los Angeles are built around eras. Kershaw anchors the 2010s and the 2020 title; the current roster covers everything after. Fans pairing a pitcher with a bat usually land on Kershaw plus one of the modern stars — the Mookie Betts Dodgers jersey is the most common second purchase, for exactly that reason.
If you want the rotation instead, the natural companion is the newer arm in the same rotation, covered in our guide to the Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dodgers jersey. And to see everything currently in stock across eras and colorways, the full Los Angeles Dodgers jerseys collection is the place to start.
A Kershaw jersey is about as safe a buy as the sport offers. The uniform design is stable, the number is retired in spirit if not yet on the wall, and nothing about the blue is going to look dated. Choose the colorway you will wear, check the shoulder seam, and keep it out of the dryer.
