Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw is close to reaching 3,000 career strikeouts, a testament to his illustrious tenure with the team.
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The magic number for Kershaw is 24 strikeouts. The three-time Cy Young winner is well aware of how close he is to reaching the milestone, and would join only 19 other pitchers that have reached the feat.
“Yeah, I’d be lying if I didn’t want to do it,” Kershaw said last week. “But I think the coolest part is the company you get to be a part of. You know what I mean? There’s just some really special names.”
From Don Sutton to Randy Johnson to Pedro Martinez, Kershaw would be the 20th pitcher to join the exclusive club.
This season, Kershaw has a 5.17 ERA with eight strikeouts and a 1.660 WHIP across four starts. While joining the 3,000 strikeout club would be an honor, the veteran understands more than most that the season is filled with ups and downs.
“I try not to think about it, because honestly, at this rate 30 strikeouts seems like a lot,” Kershaw said. “A lot can happen. But if I ever do get to do it, the guys that I came up with, Scherz and Verlander, I want to be in that group, too.”
Kershaw has quite the baseball resume including 10 All-Star appearances, two World Series rings, an MVP, and multiple Cy Youngs. However, he has his eye on one more accomplishment in Year 18.
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Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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