Saturday, Apr 30, 2022. 11:44 PM
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw became the Los Angeles Dodgers’ all-time leader in strikeouts on Saturday night, passing Detroit Tigers rookie Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning for the 2,697th regular-season strikeout of his rich career.
Kershaw, 34, surpassed Don Sutton, who last pitched for the Dodgers in 1988 and reigned as the franchise’s strikeouts leader since 1979.
In Dodgers history, Kershaw ranks third in starts, fourth in wins and fifth in innings pitched. Since 1920, he has the lowest ERA of all time (2.48 before Saturday) and average runners per inning (MCA) with 1.00 among starting pitchers with at least 1,500 innings.
Kershaw struck out Dustin Garneau on a curveball to tie Sutton’s record 2,696 strikeouts for the second out of the third inning, prompting a standing ovation from fans at Dodger Stadium. A round later he surprised Torkelson with a slippery to set the new mark.
A graphic depicting Kershaw as the franchise leader in strikeouts flashed on the video boards and another standing ovation followed. Kershaw raised his cap in appreciation. Ready to throw once more, he had to wave once more to the crowd who refused to break their cheers which grew louder.
The pitching ace finished his night at work with six innings pitched and seven strikeouts. He gave up a deserved run. The Dodgers ultimately lost 5-1.
