Kershaw becomes 39th member of 2,500-strikeout club
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw continues to enter his name into the record books, becoming the 39th pitcher to strike out 2,500-plus batters.
2500 Ks!@ClaytonKersh22 is now the 39th pitcher ever to reach the mark. pic.twitter.com/5Em23Cl0G0
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 4, 2020
Kershaw, who achieved the feat against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, also became just the fifth hurler to reach the illustrious plateau by his age-32 season. The only other pitchers to hit the mark are Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Tom Seaver, each of whom wound up being first-ballot Hall of Famers, according to Jason Catania of MLB.com.
Kershaw officially joined the club by striking out Nick Ahmed for his third punchout of the night. By games played, only three pitchers have notched 2,500-plus strikeouts faster than the 2014 MVP: Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, and Max Scherzer.
Only THREE pitchers have struck out 2,500 hitters in fewer games than @ClaytonKersh22. pic.twitter.com/ZAd7eWNnQQ
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 4, 2020
To climb the rankings further, Kershaw will need to reach 2,507 strikeouts to tie the legendary Christy Mathewson.
Kershaw allowed one hit and two walks over six shutout innings while striking out eight against Arizona. He now sits at 2,505 career punchouts and is poised to pass Mathewson during his next start. Kershaw is also eight away from tying A.J. Burnett (2,313).