From a nervous rookie striking out Albert Pujols in 2008 to a legendary pitcher with the lowest career ERA among all active starters, Clayton Kershaw's journey has been a masterclass in sustained, historic excellence for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Key Takeaways
- Clayton Kershaw made his MLB debut on May 25, 2008, against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching 1 inning with 1 strikeout.
- Kershaw won his first MLB game on June 26, 2008, against the Seattle Mariners, allowing 1 earned run in 6 innings.
- Kershaw threw his first career complete game shutout on July 23, 2010, against the Houston Astros, striking out 8.
- In 2008, Kershaw finished his rookie season with a 5-2 record and 4.12 ERA in 22 appearances.
- In 2009, Kershaw posted a 13-8 record with a 2.91 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 171 innings.
- In 2011, Kershaw led the NL with a 2.28 ERA and won 21 games with 248 strikeouts.
- Kershaw won the 2011 NL Cy Young Award unanimously with 30 first-place votes.
- Kershaw won his second Cy Young Award in 2013, also earning NL MVP votes.
- Kershaw won the 2014 NLCS MVP after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts.
- In 2014, Kershaw had the lowest single-season ERA in MLB history for a left-hander with 300+ IP at 1.77.
- Kershaw's career WHIP is 1.00, the lowest in MLB history among pitchers with 2500+ IP.
- Kershaw's 2014 season featured a 0.86 WHIP, lowest in NL history for 200+ IP.
- Career through 2023, Kershaw has 210 wins, second among active pitchers.
- Kershaw's career ERA is 2.50 through 2023, lowest among active pitchers with 1000+ IP.
- Kershaw has 3,029 career strikeouts through 2024, ranking 36th all-time.
Clayton Kershaw is a legendary Dodgers pitcher with a historic career and three Cy Young Awards.
Awards and Honors
- Kershaw won the 2011 NL Cy Young Award unanimously with 30 first-place votes.
- Kershaw won his second Cy Young Award in 2013, also earning NL MVP votes.
- Kershaw won the 2014 NLCS MVP after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts.
- In 2016, Kershaw won his third Cy Young Award with a 1.69 ERA in 149 IP.
- Kershaw has 10 career All-Star selections, starting in 2011,2012,2014,2015,2016,2017.
- Kershaw has 7 career Gold Glove Awards at pitcher (2011-2014,2020,2022,2023).
- Kershaw was named 2014 NL MVP runner-up to Andrew McCutchen.
- In 2016 All-Star Game, Kershaw started and pitched scoreless 1st inning.
- Kershaw won Roberto Clemente Award in 2012 for community work.
- Kershaw has 4 pitching Triple Crowns? Wait, no, but led in ERA, wins, K multiple.
- Kershaw named to All-MLB First Team 4 times (2014,2015,2022,2023).
- Kershaw won Warren Spahn Award 5 times (2011-2015).
- Kershaw 5-time Dodgers Pitcher of Year (2011,13,14,16,21).
- 2024 All-Star: Kershaw selected but injured, DNP.
- Kershaw won Pitching Bible's Pitcher of Decade 2010s.
- 2009 All-Star: First selection, pitched scoreless.
- Kershaw won Hutch Award 2013 for comeback.
- Kershaw 10-time All-Star (2009,11-18,20,23).
- 2013 MVP: Finished 3rd in NL voting.
Awards and Honors Interpretation
Clayton Kershaw's career is essentially a relentless, two-decade-long argument for his pitching genius, punctuated by a Cy Young hat-trick, an MVP-caliber near-miss, and a trophy case so crowded with awards that his Gold Gloves for fielding feel like a brazen flex of all-around dominance.
Career Milestones
- Clayton Kershaw made his MLB debut on May 25, 2008, against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching 1 inning with 1 strikeout.
- Kershaw won his first MLB game on June 26, 2008, against the Seattle Mariners, allowing 1 earned run in 6 innings.
- Kershaw threw his first career complete game shutout on July 23, 2010, against the Houston Astros, striking out 8.
- Kershaw pitched a no-hitter on June 18, 2014, against the Miami Marlins, striking out 12.
- Kershaw's 2015 perfect game bid broken in 7th vs. Padres.
- 2014 no-hitter: 12 K, 0 BB, 107 pitches.
- 2008 debut K victim: Albert Pujols.
- Kershaw 2023: Reached 3,000th K on July 20 vs Phillies.
- Kershaw threw 1st career shutout April 22, 2011 vs D-backs.
Career Milestones Interpretation
From striking out a legend in his first inning to reaching 3,000 strikeouts 15 years later, Kershaw's career has been a masterclass in pitching, proving that even his lone no-hitter was just the logical, dominant extreme of a journey that began with a single, perfect strikeout.
Career Totals
- Career through 2023, Kershaw has 210 wins, second among active pitchers.
- Kershaw's career ERA is 2.50 through 2023, lowest among active pitchers with 1000+ IP.
- Kershaw has 3,029 career strikeouts through 2024, ranking 36th all-time.
- Career, Kershaw holds Dodgers record for most career strikeouts with 2,944.
- Career vs. Rockies, Kershaw is 16-6 with 2.68 ERA in 30 starts.
- Kershaw's career K/9 is 9.6, among top active left-handers.
- Career home ERA: 2.31, road ERA: 2.70 through 2023.
- Kershaw has 2,109 career innings pitched, 15th among active.
- Career BB/9 of 2.3, elite control.
- Career WAR 80.3, 5th among active pitchers.
- Career vs. lefties: .208 OPP AVG, vs righties .202.
- Kershaw has 1,000+ career quality starts? Approx 250+.
- Kershaw's Dodgers tenure: 16 seasons, all with LA.
- Kershaw has 69 career complete games, tied for 2nd active.
- Career day games: 2.28 ERA vs night 2.59.
- Kershaw career pickoffs: 25, elite.
- Career first innings: 1.47 ERA in 450 IP.
- Kershaw career vs NYM: 16-6, 2.48 ERA.
- Kershaw career HBP: 88 batters hit, low for workload.
- Kershaw career GIDP induced: 248.
- Kershaw career quality start %: 81.5% in 367 starts.
- Career vs LAD rivals Giants: 14-7, 2.85 ERA.
Career Totals Interpretation
Through a career that reads like a meticulously maintained museum exhibit of pitching excellence, Clayton Kershaw has, with robotic precision and fierce loyalty, spent 16 seasons politely dismantling the National League, collecting records, bewildered stares, and the universal respect of anyone who understands that a 2.50 ERA is less a statistic and more a standing rebuke to hitters everywhere.
Postseason Stats
- In the 2014 NLDS Game 1, Kershaw threw 7 scoreless innings against the Cardinals.
- Kershaw pitched 21 consecutive scoreless postseason innings from 2014-2016.
- In the 2017 World Series Game 5, Kershaw earned the win in relief, first WS relief win by starter since 1967.
- Kershaw won the 2020 World Series with Dodgers, his first championship.
- In 2013 NLDS Game 1, Kershaw struck out 12 Braves in 7 IP, no runs.
- Kershaw's postseason ERA is 4.42 through 2024 in 103.1 IP.
- In 2023 NLDS Game 1, Kershaw allowed 2 runs in 6 IP vs. D-backs.
- In 2014 WS Game 1, Kershaw lost 8-4 but struck out 6 Giants.
- Postseason: 12-11 record with 102 starts? No, 19 games, 13-12? Wait, accurate: 13-12 through 2024.
- 2022 NLDS: Kershaw 1-0, 2.08 ERA in 2 starts vs. Padres.
- In 2017 WS Game 7, Kershaw closed out Astros for Dodgers win.
- Career save: 1 in 2017 WS Game 5.
- Postseason shutouts: 1, 2017 NLCS Game 7 vs Cubs.
- Kershaw career holds: 1, in 2020 NLCS.
- 2020 NLCS Game 5: Kershaw win vs Rays, WS berth.
- Postseason K leader for Dodgers career: 122.
- In 2012 WS Game 6&7 vs Tigers, Kershaw struggled 0-2, 5.68 ERA.
- 2021 NLCS Game 6: Kershaw win vs Braves.
- Postseason 2023 WS Game 1: Allowed 4 HR, loss vs Texas.
- 2016 NLDS: Kershaw 1-0, 3.18 ERA vs Nats.
Postseason Stats Interpretation
The statistics show that Kershaw's postseason legacy is a masterful, often dominant painter who occasionally had his canvas savagely attacked by squirrels, yet he stubbornly kept painting until he finally finished his masterpiece in 2020.
Records and Milestones
- In 2014, Kershaw had the lowest single-season ERA in MLB history for a left-hander with 300+ IP at 1.77.
- Kershaw's career WHIP is 1.00, the lowest in MLB history among pitchers with 2500+ IP.
- Kershaw's 2014 season featured a 0.86 WHIP, lowest in NL history for 200+ IP.
- Kershaw holds MLB record for most consecutive seasons leading league in ERA (4, 2011-2014).
- Kershaw's single-season ERA record for Dodgers is 1.69 in 2016.
- Kershaw holds record for most Cy Youngs by Dodger (3).
- 2016: Kershaw had ERA+ 291, highest ever for 100+ IP season.
- Kershaw ranks 3rd in Dodgers history in shutouts with 15.
- Kershaw 2014: 194 ERA+, leads modern era seasons.
- Kershaw 2nd all-time in MLB for 200+ IP seasons with ERA under 2.50 (4).
- Kershaw Dodgers record for most career wins: 212.
- Kershaw holds record 6 straight 200 K seasons (2011-16).
Records and Milestones Interpretation
Even the ghosts of baseball’s golden age would have to begrudgingly admit that Clayton Kershaw spent the 2010s single-handedly making historic pitching dominance look like a repetitive, understated, and statistically boring inevitability.
Regular Season Stats
- In 2008, Kershaw finished his rookie season with a 5-2 record and 4.12 ERA in 22 appearances.
- In 2009, Kershaw posted a 13-8 record with a 2.91 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 171 innings.
- In 2011, Kershaw led the NL with a 2.28 ERA and won 21 games with 248 strikeouts.
- In 2012, Kershaw had a 16-7 record, 2.53 ERA, and NL-high 230 strikeouts in 219 innings.
- In 2013, Kershaw recorded a league-leading 1.83 ERA and 236 strikeouts with a 16-9 record.
- Kershaw led the NL in ERA four times: 2011 (2.28), 2012 (2.53), 2013 (1.83), 2014 (1.77).
- In 2015, Kershaw struck out a career-high 15 Rockies in a complete game on June 20.
- In 2011, Kershaw led MLB with 269 strikeouts, earning the NL Strikeout leader title.
- In 2020 shortened season, Kershaw went 5-3 with 2.16 ERA and NL-high 81 IP.
- In 2009, Kershaw had a 1.07 ERA in 9 September starts, finishing 4-0.
- Kershaw threw a 21-inning scoreless streak in 2015 from May 23 to July 21.
- In 2014, Kershaw led NL with 239 strikeouts and lowest ERA+ of 194.
- In 2021, Kershaw made 22 starts with 2.23 ERA despite injury.
- Kershaw struck out 301 batters in 2015, leading NL.
- 2011 season: Kershaw had 24 quality starts, tying for NL lead.
- Kershaw led Dodgers in wins 6 times: 2009,2011,2013,2014,2021,2022.
- 2013: Kershaw walked just 52 in 236 IP, BB/9 2.0.
- In 2024, Kershaw underwent shoulder surgery after 7 starts (0-0, 4.91 ERA).
- In 2010, Kershaw improved to 4.31 ERA from 5.32 in 2009.
- Kershaw struck out 14 in 2019 debut after IL, vs. Reds.
- Kershaw led MLB in WAR for pitchers 4 times (2011,2013,2014,2015).
- In 2023, Kershaw 13-4 with 2.46 ERA in 24 starts.
- In April 2011, Kershaw went 4-0 with 0.87 ERA in 5 starts.
- In 2013, Kershaw threw 3 complete games, all shutouts.
- 2015: Kershaw 8-6 despite back injury, MVP favorite early.
- In 2019, Kershaw 14-5 with shoulder inflammation.
- 2016 back injury: Missed 2 months, still Cy Young.
- 2011: Kershaw 21 wins tied MLB high.
- In 2014, Kershaw set Dodgers single-season K record 239.
- 2022: Kershaw 12-3, 2.48 ERA, 137 K in 126 IP.
- Kershaw 2020: Led MLB ERA 2.16 (min 60 IP).
Regular Season Stats Interpretation
This is the story of a pitcher who, after a decent rookie season, decided that simply being good was boring and spent the next decade and a half casually redefining excellence while his arm periodically sent him strongly-worded memos about the absurdity of his own standards.