It wasn’t a lot the end result of a profession because it was one other signpost pointing the way in which to the Corridor of Fame.
It definitely wasn’t the final pitch Clayton Kershaw will ever throw for the Dodgers, however it should probably be among the many most memorable.
As a result of when Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra took a 1-2 slider for a strike to finish the sixth inning Wednesday night time, Kershaw turned simply the 20th pitcher in main league historical past to document 3,000 strikeouts.
Extra individuals have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 main league hitters. And for Kershaw, who has been chasing historical past since he threw his first big-league pitch as a thin 20-year-old, coming into such an elite membership can be a giant piece of his legacy.
Solely now he has the knowledge and the grace to comprehend it was by no means about him within the first place.
“It’s an unimaginable record. I’m tremendous, tremendous grateful to be part of it,” Kershaw mentioned. “However if you happen to don’t have anyone to have fun with, it’s simply doesn’t matter.”
Kershaw would know since he’s one of many most adorned gamers in historical past. Twice a 20-game winner, a five-time ERA champion and two-time world champion, he’s gained three Cy Younger Awards, was a league MVP and is a 10-time all-star.
“The person stuff,” he repeated “is barely as essential because the individuals round you.”
So whereas Kershaw stood out when reached the 3K milestone on the 100th and remaining pitch he threw within the Dodgers’ 5-4 win, he refused to face aside, pausing on his manner off the sector to level at his household sitting of their standard seats within the entrance row of the loge part. He then accepted hugs from teammates Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández.
However he saved his warmest embrace for supervisor Dave Roberts, who bounded up the dugout steps to greet him.
“We’ve been by lots collectively,” mentioned Roberts, who has guided Kershaw by doubts and disappointments, by excessive factors and lows of their 10 years collectively.
“I’m one of many few individuals in uniform that has been by them,” Roberts mentioned. “That was form of what the embrace was.”
Kershaw, 37, is simply the fourth left-hander to achieve 3,000 strikeouts however extra essential, he mentioned, is the actual fact he’s simply the second in a century, after Bob Gibson, to do it with the identical group. No pitcher, actually, has spent extra years in a Dodger uniform that Kershaw.
“I don’t know if I put a ton of inventory in being with one group early on,” he mentioned. “Over time you grow old and recognize one group a bit of bit extra. Doc [Roberts] caught with me, too. It hasn’t been all roses, I do know that.
“So there’s simply numerous mutual respect and I’m tremendous grateful now, wanting again, to get to say that I spent my complete profession right here. And I’ll spend my complete profession right here.”
Kershaw struck out the primary batter he confronted in his Dodger debut 18 years in the past, getting the Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker to wave at a 1-2 pitch. It was the primary of three strikeouts he would document in his first big-league inning. So even from the beginning, the Okay in Kershaw — the scorebook image for a strikeout — stood out greater than than the remainder of the identify.
In between Schumaker and Capra, Kershaw fanned practically 1,000 totally different hitters, from CJ Abrams and Bobby Abreu to Ryan Zimmerman and Barry Zito.
He’s caught out (Jason) Castro and (Buddy) Kennedy, Elvis (Andrus) and (Alex) Presley and (Billy) Hamilton and (Alex) Jackson. He’s whiffed (Scott) Cousins and brothers (Bengie and Yadier Molina), a (Chin-lung) Hu and a Yu (Darvish), a Prepare dinner (Aaron) and a (Jeff) Baker in addition to a Trout (Mike) and a number of Marlins (Miami).
Former Big Brandon Belt was Kershaw’s most frequent sufferer, placing out 30 occasions in 62 at-bats. Fewer than 50 batters have confronted him at the least 5 occasions with out placing out, in keeping with Baseball Reference.
Alongside the way in which Kershaw’s distinctive windup, the appropriate knee pausing as he lifts each palms simply above his cap, has turn out to be an immediately recognizable silhouette for a technology of Dodger followers.
There’s just one different left-hander in group historical past that may evaluate with Kershaw, but he and Sandy Koufax are so totally different the comparisons are extra contrasts than something.
Kershaw has been sensible over the whole thing of his 18-year profession, successful 10 or extra video games 12 occasions. He’s by no means completed a season with a dropping document and his profession ERA of two.52 is the bottom of the final 105 years for pitchers who’re thrown at the least 1,500 innings. Even at 37, he’s unbeaten in 4 choices.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks off the mound after recording his 3,000th profession strikeout as proper fielder Andy Pages, left, and first baseman Freddie Freeman, proper, react behind him.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
Koufax was 36-40 with an ERA above 4.00 by his first six seasons. And whereas Koufax’s profession was ended by harm earlier than his 31st birthday, Kershaw has pushed by repeated issues along with his again, shoulder, knee, toe, elbow, pelvis and forearm.
Solely Don Sutton has gained extra video games in a Dodger uniform than the 216 that belong to Kershaw, who will quickly be enshrined subsequent to Koufax and Sutton within the Corridor of Fame.
“Early on they had been speaking about this subsequent Sandy Koufax man, this massive left-hander. Actually didn’t have an concept the place the ball was going, however fairly particular,” mentioned Roberts, who retired as a participant after Kershaw’s rookie season. “It’s a lot better to be sporting the identical uniform as him.”
However Roberts has seen the opposite facet, when the younger promise offers method to pitfalls. He’s seen Kershaw battle so many accidents, he’s spent practically as a lot time on the injured record as within the rotation over the previous 5 seasons. Alongside the brilliance, he’s seen the uncertainty.
So with Kershaw approaching historical past Wednesday, Roberts loosened the leash, letting him return to the mound for the sixth inning regardless of having thrown 92 pitches, his most in additional than two years.
“I needed to provide Clayton each alternative,” he mentioned. “You can see the emotion that he had right now, making an attempt to get that third strike. However I believe it simply occurred the way in which it’s purported to occur, within the sense that it was the third out [and] we bought an opportunity to actually have fun him.”
Every time Kershaw bought to 2 strikes, one thing he did to fifteen of the 27 hitters he confronted, “I mentioned just a few Hail Marys” Roberts mentioned.
“It’s the final field for Clayton to verify in his great profession,” he added, saying he doubted many extra pitchers will ever attain 3,000 strikeouts. “You’ve bought to remain wholesome, you’ve bought to be good early in your profession, you’ve bought to be good for a very long time.”
And Kershaw has been all of that.
That, Roberts mentioned, was behind the second lengthy hug he and his pitcher shared within the dugout Wednesday night time as a spotlight reel of Kershaw’s profession performed on the video boards above each outfield pavilions. The sellout crowd, which had lengthy been on its toes, persevering with cheering, ultimately drawing Kershaw again out onto the sector to doff his cap in appreciation.
“That ovation,” he mentioned “was one thing that I’ll always remember, for positive.”
As a result of who desires to have fun alone?
