Clayton Kershaw Cards Heat Up with Major Strikeout Milestone
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Say what you will about his postseason disappointments, but the facts are clear. Clayton Kershaw is not only the greatest pitcher of his generation but quite possibly the greatest pitcher ever. That may sound preposterous to fans outside of Chavez Ravine, but check the Stathead. The numbers don't lie. Here's the book on Kersh, heading into his "must-see" July 2, 2025, start against the Chicago White Sox with 2,997 strikeouts under his belt.
For starters, here are the "Live Ball Era" (1920-present) career leaders in Earned Run Average among pitchers with 2000 or more innings pitched. Kersh is of course at the very top of the list.
For the more sabermetrically inclined, maybe ERA+ is more your thing. This not only adjusts for year-to-year fluctuations in scoring but opens the door to Dead Ball legends like Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Cy Young. Where's Kersh? Once again, he's numero uno!
And returning to the Live Ball Era, what about WHIP, which stands for Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched and provides a measure of how few baserunners a pitcher allows. There's that guy again, right on top!
Clayton Kershaw may or may not hang onto all three top spots as he winds down his career. Certainly most pitchers fade a bit on their way out. Still, the Dodger ace and three-time Cy Young Award winner is a cinch for first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and may well go down (sadly enough) as the last 200-game winner in National League history.
But enough about his stats! What about his cardboard? Fortunately for collectors, his cards remain fairly reasonable given his greatness. With a little patience, bargain hunters may be able to find his rookie card (2008 Topps Update) in PSA 9 for as little as $150. Meanwhile, as is the case with most modern players, Kersh has literally THOUSANDS of great looking "commons" for $1 or less.
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And for those collectors looking for the road less traveled, "pre-rookie" cards of Kersh can often be found for between $10 and $40. For the Dodger haters out there, this is also a great way to go!
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Finally, for the ultra-high end collectors out there, Kersh has any number of autos, one of ones, and rookie card parallels that stretch well into four figures. Click here for just a sampling of recent sales on eBay.
Congratulations to Clayton Kershaw as he notches yet another amazing milestone along his straight-line path to Cooperstown. Sure, he's still more than 2700 strikeouts behind the Ryan Express, but then again, so is just about everyone! Plus, does his fastball even hit 90?
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.