The Dodgers pummeled the Padres on Thursday night 8-2. Clayton Kershaw started, Cody Bellinger hit his 35th home run, rookie catcher Will Smith continued his tear with a go-ahead grand slam and the best team in baseball won again.
Ho-hum. Right?
Not this night. Kershaw, the franchise’s beloved ace for the past 11 years, hit a major milestone with a sixth-inning strikeout of Austin Hedges. It was No. 2,397 for his career, moving him past the Dodgers other iconic left-hander, Sandy Koufax, for third place in franchise history.
Clayton Kershaw’s 2,397th strikeout moves him past Sandy Koufax to third all-time in franchise history 👏
(via @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/46AFc3pC38
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) August 2, 2019
A comparison worth making
It’s hard to talk about the Dodgers’ history in Los Angeles without comparing Kershaw and Koufax. Two left-handers who dominated the league for nearly a decade without showboating or screaming at batters.
Koufax, whose career was cut short by elbow injuries before Tommy John surgery existed, still attends many Dodgers games. The team will build his statue outside Dodger Stadium in the offseason.
One day, there might be one of Kershaw, too. The curly-haired lefty from Texas has won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP — the exact same number as Koufax. The biggest difference, of course, is that Koufax won three World Series titles with the Dodgers. Kershaw, who has two runner-up finishes, hopes to remedy that soon.
.@ClaytonKersh22 (2,397 Ks) has passed Sandy Koufax for the most strikeouts by a lefty in @Dodgers history. pic.twitter.com/94x2VL4VjZ
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 2, 2019
Looking forward
The two pitchers ahead of Kershaw on the Dodgers’ all-time list? Don Sutton (2,696) and Don Drysdale (2,486).
If he stays healthy, Kershaw can pass both, perhaps as early as the end of next season. He normally is a pretty cool customer, but you can tell this is a milestone that means something to him.
Lets get crazy with it… Congrats to Clayton Kershaw on passing Sandy Koufax in strikeouts with 2397 of them. Here’s an animation of every K in his @mlb career so far pic.twitter.com/In2inygDKi
— Daren Willman (@darenw) August 2, 2019
(h/t MLB.com)
