Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Sets a New LA Franchise Record
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On a cool evening in Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw further seared himself into Dodgers history. The 15-year MLB veteran passed Hall-of-Famer Don Sutton for the Dodgers all-time franchise record for strikeouts.
Kershaw's strikeout of Detroit Tigers hitter Spencer Torkelson was the 2,697th of his career.
The baseball eras of Kershaw and Sutton are remarkably different, but Clayton needed almost 200 fewer games than Sutton to pass him on the all-time punch out leaderboard.
After his historic moment, the over 52,000 Dodgers fans gave Kershaw a standing ovation as the Dodger Stadium video boards lit up with awesome congratulatory graphics.
Kershaw tipped his hat and gently pumped his fist in response to the wave of adulation.
After the game, Kershaw talked about the vociferous reaction from a full house at Chavez Ravine (quotes via The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett.)
“I didn’t really expect it. I understand that the Dodgers are a historic franchise. They’ve been around a long time so the guys on that list I was fortunate to pass, it’s a big deal. But I didn’t know the fans would know or honestly care that much. So it was special for me. It really was.”
The future Hall-of-Famer also talked about how he's after a championship, not personal accolades.
“I don’t want to just pitch to pitch. It’s not a goal of mine to stick around. I don’t have any interest in just sticking around to be around. I want to be here to contribute to a team that might win a World Series. That’s what I want to do. And if either of those things aren’t around, I don’t see myself sticking around."
Clayton Kershaw, the new Dodgers franchise all-time strikeout king.
Has a nice ring to it, but it's not the ring he's after.
