Clayton Kershaw Becomes 20th MLB Pitcher with 3,000 Strikeouts

On July 3, 2025, veteran Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, now 37, reached a historic milestone by recording his 3,000th career strikeout, becoming only the 20th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to achieve the featโ€”and just the fourth leftโ€‘hander alongside Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and CC Sabathia.

Facing the Chicago White Sox, Kershaw entered needing three strikeouts. He tallied them over six inningsโ€”striking out former teammate Miguel Vargas in the third, Lenyn Sosa in the fifth, and veteran Vinny Capra looking on a slider to end the sixth and reach 3,000 career Ks. That final strikeout came on his season-high 100th pitch, and he exited the game immediately afterward.

Despite surrendering four runs on nine hits, Kershaw left with the Dodgers trailing 4โ€“2. The team rallied in the ninth inning, with contributions from Will Smith and Andy Pagesโ€”including a walkโ€‘off score that propelled Los Angeles to a 5โ€“4 comeback victory, adding luster to Kershawโ€™s milestone moment.

Kershawโ€™s career to this point remains extraordinary: 216 wins, a career ERA of 2.52, 10 All-Star selections, three NL Cy Young Awards, and 2014 NL MVP. He played an instrumental role in the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship though missed much of the 2024 season due to injury, including the postseason.

This achievement places Kershaw among elite companyโ€”not only in the broader strikeout club but as one of only three pitchers ever to tally all 3,000 Ks with a single franchise, joining Walter Johnson and Bob Gibson.

Manager Dave Roberts celebrated the milestone as a tribute to Kershawโ€™s consistency and loyalty: โ€œTo reach this with the same team over 18 years, the Dodgers faithful have been on this journey with Claytonโ€.

Across online forums, fans and analysts praised the rarity of the milestone. One Reddit post summarized it aptly:

โ€œReaching 2,000 strikeouts is wild. Reaching 3,000 is legitimately insane. Congrats to Kershaw. And please… let him have the ball.โ€ reddit.com

Kershaw added his name to the list of active 3,000-strikeout pitchers, joining Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. With no sign of slowing down, analysts note his continued reliance on pitch command and slider masteryโ€”even as his velocity declines with age .

The landmark night deepens Kershawโ€™s legacy as one of baseballโ€™s greatest left-handed pitchers. As he looks ahead to remaining innings this season, the milestone stands as both historic and sentimentally significant for Dodgers fans and MLB at large.


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