Clayton Kershaw Continues to Add to His Hall of Fame Resume
Now just 12 strikeouts shy of 3,000 for his career, Kershaw has continued to add on to his Hall of Fame career so far this season.
On August 30, 2024, Clayton Kershaw hung a curveball to Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the 2nd inning.
Carroll crushed it. As Kershaw looked up and watched the ball curl around the foul pole in right field, he sighed.
Beyond his disappointment in giving up a home run, this wound up being the final pitch of Kershaw’s season. He left the game shortly thereafter, pitching just one inning.
Kershaw was frustrated, and rightfully so. He had just spent months recovering from shoulder surgery. After just seven starts, he would land on the injured list yet again with a bone spur in his toe.
In the aftermath of this outing, many fans began to wonder whether they had just witnessed the final pitch of Kershaw’s career.
Kershaw had stayed relatively healthy throughout the first half of his career. However, injuries began to plague Kershaw as time went on. His health concerns were made all the more worrisome given that he would be entering his age-37 season in 2025.
Today, Kershaw has put these concerns to rest.
After taking the offseason to recover, Kershaw made his season debut on May 17, 2025. Despite some questionable results early on, he has settled in during his past few starts.
Now in his 18th season, Kershaw is putting on a show while adding to his Hall of Fame resume. Notably, he stands just twelve strikeouts away from notching the 3,000th of his career.
While it remains unclear when Kershaw will hang up the spikes, it appears safe to assume his retirement will come soon.
Therefore, it is all the more important to put Kershaw’s career in context in order to best appreciate the significance of this season.
Stats were taken prior to Kershaw’s start on June 20.
A Monumental Legacy
Since his debut in 2008, Kershaw has pitched 2,770.1 innings, faced 10,931 batters, and accrued 76.8 bWAR.
In 435 starts, he’s gone 214-94 while throwing 25 complete games, 15 shutouts, and a no-hitter along the way.
The volume of production Kershaw has produced over his career makes his results all the more impressive. He owns a career 2.51 ERA, 2.83 FIP, and 155 ERA+ with 2,988 strikeouts.
Over 18 seasons, Kershaw is the active leader in H/9 (6.9) and HR/9 (0.7) with an impressive 2.2 BB/9 and 9.7 K/9.
To sustain this level of production over such a high volume is unheard of. Since 1950, no other pitcher with at least 1500 innings pitched has produced a lower ERA than Kershaw. The next closest is Whitey Ford with a 2.75 ERA.
This finding is even more remarkable when using stats that can help adjust for league performance. Since 1871, Kershaw stands alone with the lowest ERA- of any starter with 1500 or more innings in their career.
Beyond Kershaw’s historic longevity, he has put up plenty of exceptional seasons on an individual level. The most impressive fall between 2011 and 2017.
After a successful first few years in MLB, Kershaw embarked on a seven-year stretch among the best in MLB history.
Best in the Business
From 2011 to 2017, Kershaw was on another level.
In 1,452 innings, he pitched to a 2.10 ERA with 24 complete games and 1,623 strikeouts. He did this while walking just 283 of 5,583 batters faced, and giving up just 97 home runs.
During this span, Kershaw received plenty of accolades for his efforts. He earned seven All-Star nods and took home the ERA title in four straight years. He also picked up a Gold Glove award in 2011, just for good measure.
Kershaw finished top-five in Cy Young voting every year. He took home the award three times, and arguably could have won four or five in a row.
Though Kershaw missed out on Cy Young in 2013, he made up for it by winning the MVP to go along with his third Cy Young award the following season.
In one of the greatest seasons this century, Kershaw put on a pitching masterclass in 2014.
Kershaw put up a 1.77 ERA and 197 ERA+ in 198.1 innings, striking out 239 batters while walking just 31. He also led MLB in bWAR with 7.7 while winning 21 games en route to an .875 winning percentage.
His best performance of the season came on June 18, when he no-hit the Colorado Rockies while striking out 15 batters. If not for a throwing error by shortstop Hanley Ramírez, Kershaw would have pitched a perfect game.
Kershaw would go on to pitch a number of fantastic seasons after 2014. However, this season solidified Kershaw as not only one of the best in the game, but one of the best in its history.
The Cooperstown Curve
So far in 2025, Kershaw has seen mixed results but has generally done well. He owns a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched along with 20 strikeouts and 10 walks.
Kershaw’s first few starts were fairly rocky. Over three starts in May, Kershaw pitched 11 innings, gave up six runs, and struck out just three batters.
However, he has looked much better in June.
So far this month, Kershaw owns a 2.16 ERA with opponents hitting .234/.279/.375 against him over three starts. He has even brought his strikeout rate up from 12.8% to 20.6% and has reduced his walk rate to just 5.9%.
Kershaw’s velocity may have dipped in recent years, but his stuff has remained solid over time. His curveball in particular has induced a .200 BA and .400 SLG, but expected stats would contend those numbers should be lower.
Now that he has had some time to adjust, Kershaw has looked much better. Over his last two starts, he has given up just one run while striking out 12 batters.
Given this, it is reasonable to assume that we will see Kershaw record his 3,000th strikeout fairly soon. He will become the 20th pitcher in MLB history to do so.
After this year, the future is rather uncertain. Whether or not Kershaw continues to pitch in 2026 and beyond will depend on a number of factors.
For now, it is best to simply appreciate the opportunity to watch him continue to compete. His impact on the game has been immense, and it will be felt long after he retires.
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