Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw On Brink of Milestone
We all know how special left-handed hurler Clayton Kershaw is, and just how important he is to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Well, he’s on the verge of even more accomplishments this season because he is so darn dominant.
As it stands, Kershaw has 1746 career strikeouts. That puts him 254 away from 2000 in his career. The insane part about that is that he will turn 28 years old in March, which means he is currently on pace to reach that milestone long before he turns 30 years old. And that’s stunning.
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From ESPN Stats & Information on ESPN.com:
Clayton Kershaw likely won’t reach [2000 strikeouts] until season’s end. He’s 254 shy.
Kershaw only has one season in his career where he’s recorded at least 254 strikeouts, and that was last season when he fanned 301 batters. However, he has three other seasons with at least 230 strikeouts. If he’s able to get to 254 this year, he’ll be just the fourth pitcher in MLB history to log 2000 strikeouts through an Age 28 season.
The only other pitchers to accomplish that feat through an Age 28 season are Bert Blyleven (2082), Walter Johnson (2117), and Sam McDowell (2159). It should be noted, however, that Kershaw will reach 2000 strikeouts, if he does it this season, at a far faster rate since he’ll have done it in fewer games.
And that’s the sheer magisterial nature with Kershaw. He’s doing things at a pace that most other pitchers not only haven’t done, but are incapable of doing. He’s the type of pitcher you run across once in a lifetime, or twice if you’re truly lucky. He is his generation’s Sandy Koufax.
With a healthy season, and a relatively normal season, Kershaw should fan his 2000th batter sometime in middle-to-late September. That’ll be a true joy to watch.
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Didn’t realize those other pitchers all pitched in the future! Cool!