Clayton Kershaw Wednesday evening became the 20th pitcher in Major League Baseball history with 3,000 strikeouts with three against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw struck out former teammate Miguel Vargas in the third, Lenyn Sosa in the fifth and Vinny Capra in the sixth to reach the milestone.
Kershaw was relieved by Lou Trivino before the start of the seventh inning and the Dodgers trailing 4-2.
Kershaw is the fourth left-hander with 3,000 strikeouts, joining Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson and CC Sabathia.
All but two of the eligible pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts are in the Hall of Fame. The exceptions are Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling.
The 37-year-old Kershaw began the season on the 60-day injured list as he continued to recover from left toe and left knee surgeries performed in November. His first official pitching appearance came on April 16 with the Dodgers’ Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate, pitching three shutout innings and striking out two in a 3-1 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers.
Kershaw had a 1-0 record and 2.57 ERA in five games with three minor league affiliates before making his 2025 Major League debut May 17 against the Angels, allowing five runs and five hits in four innings but not figuring in the decision in an 11-9 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw entered Wednesday’s play with a 4-0 record and 3.03 ERA.
Kershaw’s 2024 season was ended on Aug. 30 because of a bone spur in his left big toe. After his toe problems were discovered, Kershaw said he decided to have his left knee examined because it had been bothering him for some time. Imaging later showed he needed surgery to repair his left meniscus.
The Dodgers selected Kershaw with the seventh pick in the 2006 draft out of Highland Park High School in the Dallas suburb of University Park where he was also the center on the football team, quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford, now the Rams’ quarterback.
Kershaw made his major league debut on May 25, 2008, against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, striking out the first batter he faced, Skip Schumaker.
Kershaw’s top strikeout victim is Brandon Belt, who he struck out 30 times in 67 plate appearances between 2011 and 2020, all when Belt was with the San Francisco Giants.