Dodgers Scores

Dodgers Highlights: Clayton Kershaw Joins Elite Company, JD Martinez Powers LA to Win

Clayton Edward Kershaw has joined the 200 club! With the Dodgers’ victory over the Mets, Kersh secured career win number 200. He also beat the Mets for the 11th time in his career and, most importantly, got the Dodgers back in the win column. The other hero of the game was veteran slugger J.D. Martinez who connected on two home runs to power the Dodgers to the dub.

Join the Celebration LIVE DN Postgame Show with Doug McKain!

Let’s get into the highlights! Usually we start with offensive highlights, but when you win your 200th career game, you get top billing.

Things started out vintage for Clayton who had the leadoff hitter get to third base on a Jason Heyward error in right field, who was filling in for Mookie Betts while he was away from the club welcoming his second child. Kersh struck out the side to strand the runner.

It made Walker Buehler happy.

Clayton ended up going 7 scoreless innings, punching out 9 Mets batters while walking none. His final pitch of the outing was a huge strikeout of Tommy Pham that got an emphatic celebration from the Hall of Fame left-hander. The strikeout was 2,833 in his career, which moved him to 22nd on MLB’s all-time K list.

Importantly, Clayton didn’t forget to be dad for a minute with his kids in the front row.

On offense, it was all J.D. Martinez who got things going in the first with a two run home run.

He decided that wasn’t enough.

The first inning shot was an absolute moonshot.

The Dodgers added a pair of runs in the 8th the old fashioned way with an Austin Barnes walk and stolen base. He advanced to third on a single with one out and scored on a Freddie Freeman sacrifice fly. Martinez got in the action again with an RBI single. He was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.

Dodger Pitching

Evan Phillips pitched a clean 8th largely in part to a great defensive play by Miguel Vargas who made a leaping snag of a line drive and turned it into a double play.

Brusdar Graterol recorded two strikeouts in a clean 9th inning to complete the Dodgers’ first shutout of the season.

He also secured free Jack in the Box Jumbo Jacks for local fans!

One Note to Keep an Eye On

Luke Williams surprisingly pinch hit for Miguel Rojas in the 5th inning and stayed in the game at shortstop. Early in the game, he took a tough one hopper off the chest/sternum area. More to come, if this is anything to watch.

Up Next

The Dodgers look to take the series with the Mets in a matinee affair. Noah Syndergaard faces his former club for the first time in his career and New York sends Max Scherzer to the mound for his first visit to LA since signing with the Mets after the 2021 postseason.

Congratulations once again to Clayton Kershaw and thank you for the years of greatness.

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

One Comment

  1. Elite?? 117 is not an elite group. He is closing in on Charlie root, silver king, AL Orth, Lewis Burdette, Carl mays, milt Pappas and many other legends

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button