On a humid Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw took another quiet step toward baseball immortality. With four strikeouts over five innings in a 6–5 Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Nationals, Kershaw moved his career total to 2,992 — just eight shy of the elusive 3,000-strikeout milestone. Only 19 pitchers in MLB history have reached the mark, and just three of them—C.C. Sabathia, Randy Johnson, and Steve Carlton—are left-handers like Kershaw.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw Nears 3,000 Strikeouts, But Isn’t Ready to Reflect Just Yet
“It’s hard not to appreciate how close he is to the 3,000 mark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “My guess is that he just wants to get this thing over with as soon as possible.”
Kershaw, 37, has heard the chatter but remains focused on the task at hand. “There’s a few pitches tonight where it clicked,” he said. “It’s just not everyone. So hopefully it’ll get there.”
His performance Friday was classic Kershaw in some ways — flashes of dominance with his iconic curveball and slider, mixed with moments where command wavered. He gave up two solo home runs, walked two, and threw just 45 strikes in 78 pitches. Still, he battled through five innings and kept his ERA for June at a stellar 2.49.
“I can still get people out,” he said. “I just want to do it a little bit better.”
This is just Kershaw’s seventh start of the season after returning from injury, yet he’s 3–0 with a 3.31 ERA. He has 24 strikeouts in 32.2 innings and, for now, looks as sharp as anyone could’ve hoped after months of uncertainty.
“This isn’t about milestones for him,” said teammate Miguel Rojas. “He wants to win. That’s always been the case.”
Kershaw himself joked earlier this week about how long it might take to reach 3,000: “Maybe by September I’ll get there, we’ll see… it might be until August.”
But fans and teammates know better. Whether it happens in Colorado or Kansas City next week, Kershaw’s milestone is imminent. And when it does arrive, it will be one more line on a Cooperstown-bound résumé — but not the final chapter.
Kershaw is currently scheduled to start against the Rockies on Tuesday, June 24th.