Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw Reaches 3,000 Strikeouts, 20th in MLB History

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Updated Jul 3, 2025, 04:20 AM

Clayton Kershaw recorded his 3,000th career strikeout Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, freezing Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra with an 85-mph slider in the sixth inning. The 37-year-old left-hander needed three strikeouts entering the game and reached the mark before leaving to a standing ovation from a sold-out home crowd.

Kershaw is the 20th pitcher—and only the fourth left-hander—in Major League Baseball history to reach 3,000 strikeouts. He joins Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as the only active members of the club and is just the fifth pitcher to register all 3,000 with one franchise. According to Elias Sports Bureau, he reached the milestone in 2,787 1⁄3 innings, the fourth-fastest pace on record.

The achievement adds to an 18-year résumé spent entirely with the Dodgers: 10 All-Star selections, three Cy Young Awards, the 2014 National League MVP and two World Series rings. Kershaw entered the night 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA, providing stability to a rotation hit hard by injuries this season.

Only two other active starters—Atlanta’s Chris Sale (2,528 strikeouts) and the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (2,251)—are within 750 of the benchmark, underscoring its growing rarity as workloads shrink and injuries rise. “He’s gonna have a statue someday,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, summing up the significance of his ace’s latest milestone.

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