LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw became the 20th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts when Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox took a slider for a called third strike from the Los Angeles Dodgers star for the final out of the sixth inning on Wednesday night.
“It’s the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “He’s never been a person to look for kind of acknowledgment or attention, but he’s earned that whether he likes it or not.”
The sellout crowd of 53,536 was on its feet roaring as the 37-year-old left-hander walked off the mound to end the inning. He paused and doffed his cap, with teammates briefly holding off hugging him to allow him to soak in the cheers.
Kershaw waved to his wife and four children in the stands and then patted his chest and mouthed, “Thank you.” The game was delayed for nearly 6 minutes between pitches, a gap that included a tribute video. Kershaw has spent his entire 18-year career in Los Angeles.
Kershaw joined Justin Verlander of San Francisco (3,468) and Max Scherzer of Toronto (3,412) as the only active pitchers with that many. Kershaw is just the fourth left-hander in the club.
Capra, hitting ninth, was retired on four pitches, with plate umpire Jim Wolf calling the third strike on a slider, Kershaw’s season-high 100th pitch of the night. Wolf is the brother of retired pitcher Randy Wolf, once a teammate of Kershaw’s.
It was the 251st strikeout of Kershaw’s caught by Will Smith. Roberts had said before the game that he would manage the three-time Cy Young Award winner differently with the milestone within reach. That was apparent when Kershaw jogged out for the sixth, having already tossed a season-high 92 pitches with just two strikeouts. He came into the game needing three to make history.
Kershaw retired Lenyn Sosa on three pitches for his 2,999th strikeout in the fifth. Sosa fouled off Kershaw’s first two pitches before striking out on a 72-mph curveball to end the inning.
In the third, Miguel Vargas took called strikes on his first two pitches before he swung and missed on another 72-mph curveball from his former Dodgers teammate.
The White Sox swung aggressively against Kershaw, who gave up a two-run homer to Austin Slater and two more runs as Chicago led 4-2 after six innings.
Kershaw made history one batter after Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy was injured in tagging out Michael A. Taylor on a steal attempt. Muncy had to be helped off the field, barely able to put any weight on his left leg.
Kershaw is making history at a time when he’s provided much-needed stability for the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries this season.
“It’s just again a reminder for me, for anyone, to never bet against that guy,” Roberts said. “It doesn’t matter — health, stuff — he’s going to will himself to doing whatever the team needs.”
Kershaw struggled in his first start of the season when he allowed five runs over four innings in his first start after returning from knee and foot surgeries last offseason. Since then, he has held opposing batters to a .222 average.
“The first three months of the season, we’ve needed some length from the starter,” Roberts said. “Once he kind of got his footing after the first few, he’s done everything and more that we’ve needed. That doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Age and less dominant stuff has changed the way Kershaw does his job. He knows his consistency isn’t the same but with the depth of the team’s staff, he doesn’t need to be perfect every outing.
Kershaw no longer overpowers hitters the way he did during the height of his career, but he remains stubbornly determined and possesses a craftiness honed over 18 seasons as well as a slider that can still fool.
“I’ve seen him grow more than any player,” Roberts said. “Hasn’t lost the compete, but I think that the world is not as black and white as he used to see it. I think that his edges are softer, I think that fatherhood, Father Time, does that to a person.”
In his prime from 2010 to 2015, Kershaw led the National League in ERA five times, in strikeouts three times and wins twice.
