The Los Angeles have eight strikeouts as Clayton Kershaw only does 19 people he’s ever been in MLB history.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is dozens of punch-outs from becoming the 20th member of the historic club, but he recently provided a comedy when he discussed the rarity of the places he attends.
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“Maybe by September I’ll be there, we’ll see,” Kershaw joked. “It’s obviously very cool and I’m starting to get to the forefront of my mind a little bit more, but who knows when 12 can take me at this point? That could be until August.”
For a pitcher with a brilliant resume as No. 22, when considering eight strikeouts, it is certainly comical to think about that time slot. Kershaw threw 16 strikeouts (only three walks) in the final three starts alone, pitching 17 innings in total.
The risk of injury at 37 is still in his mind, but the 10-time All-Star looks like his old self, following a somewhat shaky start to 2025.
In the first three starts of the Car Show this season, he threw six strikeouts on many walks with a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings (one start is heavily affected by the rain).
On the three outings following Friday’s start against the Washington Nationals, his ERA was 2.16 in 16.2 innings and threw 14 strikeouts on just four walks. He also collected his first two wins of 2025 during that time.
The Southpaw decides to hang it tomorrow and still can spend eternity in Cooperstown with confidence, but Kershaw shows that it’s all said and there’s still something he can do before it’s done. Chasing 3,000, as he stated last month, was not the main reason he decided to return this season, but rather to end his picture book career on his own terms.
“Look, if I’m out there and fired up and I’m not good anymore, it’s just time, that’s one thing,” he said. “If another batsman does my best, that’s one thing. But I’m not going to let myself do that.”
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Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Immagn Images
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