Clayton Kershaw’s impact across the entire MLB cannot be overstated—more than 3000 strikeouts, an all-time high winning percentage, and a fantastic career ERA. Kershaw dominated the league for 18 years and exemplified what it means to be a reliable starter. Kershaw’s career began with high expectations as the seventh overall pick in the draft. He made his first start in 2008 and led the Dodgers to a win with six innings and seven strikeouts. He has been a part of some of the most iconic moments in Dodgers and baseball history. Whether it is his no-hitter against the Rockies or his clutch starts in the 2020 World Series. He has always been an integral part of the Dodgers organization, and his significance to the organization will not be forgotten.
Clayton Kershaw spent his whole career with the Dodgers and their minor league affiliates. Over the past 19 years, he has embodied what it means to be a Dodger. In sixteen of his eighteen seasons, he had an ERA under 3. He averaged over 200 strikeouts a season. Throughout his career, he was always a pillar of the Dodgers team. He consistently had over 20 starts a season and was always reliable as a starter. He was the pitcher that the Dodgers could rely on to shut down the opposing team for six innings. From 2011 to 2017, he was the definition of a star. He finished top 5 in Cy Young voting all 7 years and won the award in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Through those years, he was also an all-star and finished in the top 20 in every season.
Throughout his tenure, he accumulated some stats that show he is truly one of the games greats. He led the league in ERA 5 times, was deemed the National League’s best pitcher 3 times, was an 11-time all-star, and was an MVP. His accolades rival those of some of the league’s most successful players of all time. What really made Kershaw amazing, though, was his consistency. Oftentimes, pitchers will experience a few years of dominance, then fall off, whether due to injuries or inconsistency; however, Kershaw has always seemed to avoid the inevitable decline that often afflicts pitchers. In all but two of his seasons, he started over 20 games and had a sub-3.6 ERA in almost all of them. This has been observed before, but the level of dominance, combined with longevity, is something that is typically only seen in all-time greats.
One of his most unique traits was his pitch arsenal. Especially in today’s game, pitchers only thrive with fastballs of 98 mph or higher. Anything lower has to be complemented with a highly reliable offspeed pitch. Kershaw’s fastball typically hovered around 94 mph, which is very low when compared to other pitchers. However, his whole pitch arsenal is what made him elite. He mainly relied on four pitches: The slider, the fastball, the curveball, and the splitter. His curveball is well known for being one of the best pitches in baseball history. Hitters have only hit over .200 one time when Kershaw utilizes his curveball. That is unbelievably good.
Kershaw’s retirement marks the end of one of the best careers in MLB history. His retirement marks the end of an era for the Dodgers. His impact on the game will not be forgotten and although the game has evolved, his slow fastball and top notch curveball will always be a reminder that you can dominate with any skill set.
