Editorials

Dodgers History: MLB Facts About Clayton Kershaw’s No-Hitter (Video)




Please enable Javascript to watch this video

It’s playing out to be a pretty sweet month for the Dodgers, reminding us a lot of last season’s turnaround. What we can’t stop talking about over here at Dodgers Nation, is Clayton Kershaw’s first career no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, marking the team’s second no-hitter this season after Josh Beckett earned his first a month ago. Let’s break down, with the help of ESPN Stats & Info what makes Kershaw’s so special.

First off, Kershaw’s no-hitter logged a career-high of 15 strikeouts with 107 pitches. He’s the first pitcher ever in MLB history to record 15 strikeouts without allowing either a hit or a walk. Kershaw is also tied for the most strikeouts in a no-hitter by a left-handed pitcher with Warren Spahn, who made the record back in 1960.

Let’s talk about those 15 strikeouts – 14 came on breaking balls, which is the most in a single start since pitch-types were first tracked in 2009.

Catcher A.J. Ellis complimented Kershaw on his arsenal of pitches saying to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com,

“I told him it’s not fair to have a devastating slider and a devastating curve the same night. But when he does, this is possible […] I’m just thankful and blessed to be on the receiving end of the best pitcher in baseball.”

If it wasn’t for an error by Hanley Ramirez in the seventh inning, Kershaw would have added a perfect game to his resume. Even though he didn’t get the perfect game, he did receive the nod for the second-highest game score in a nine-inning game in the last hundred years with a score of 102. Only Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game in 1998 was higher (105), but Wood did allow a hit in that game.

Get this, though, the Dodgers actually hold the record for the most no-hitters of any team in the MLB for an overall total of 22 and 12 of those happened after the team moved from Brooklyn to LA.

And, while Dodger fans everywhere celebrated Kershaw’s big game, this is what the humble pitcher had to say about his impressive performance.

He told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com what was going on in his head while he was on the mound:

We just started scoring so many runs. I just didn’t want to mess that up. I just kept trying to throw strikes. It was just so much fun, I can’t explain it. You don’t really think about doing something like that. You think about winning a World Series, but as far as individually, this ranks right up there. It’s pretty cool.”

As a Dodger fan, how do you feel about the team moving forward? Did Kershaw’s no-hitter start a rally as we reach mid-season? Tell us what you think in the comments below and over on twitter at @DodgersNation! While you’re at it, subscribe to our Dodgers Nation YouTube Channel for more Dodgers Updates!

*Stats From ESPN Stats & Info

One Comment

Leave a Reply

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

Back to top button