Unstoppable. Los Angeles Dodgers living legend Clayton Kershaw, 35, is second on the Dodgers’ all-time wins list. Now he’ll have a chance to move up to second place on the Major League Baseball’s all-time wins list.
Kershaw improved to 12-4 on the season with five innings of three-hit ball (one home run), five strikeouts, three walks, and one earned run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday. His season ERA is 2.48.
Kershaw recently signed a one-year free agent contract with the Dodgers. His salary this season is $20 million. Although he’s been on the disabled list with nagging injuries every year, he’s still a solid performer when healthy. In four August starts, he went 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA. He didn’t have one in July, but he’s been in the double digits every month except for May, when he went 1-3 with a 5.55 ERA in five starts.
On this day, Kershaw reached another milestone. He moved into a tie for second place on the Dodgers’ all-time wins list with Don Drysdale with 209. He needs one more win to move into sole possession of second place on the Dodgers’ all-time wins list. He’s also within striking distance of becoming the Dodgers’ all-time wins leader.
The current leader is Don Sutton with 233 wins. If he finishes this season strong and signs a two-year deal with the Dodgers, he could easily surpass that mark. Of course, there’s a catch: he has to stay healthy and stay in the starting rotation.
Meanwhile, his name is looking increasingly familiar on the major league career wins list. As of the 30th, Justin Verlander (Houston Astros, 254 wins), Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals, 224 wins), and Max Scherzer (Texas Rangers, 213 wins) are 1-3.
The 40-year-old Verlander and the 39-year-old Scherzer are signed through the 2024 season. Both have been competitive this season, with Scherzer winning 12 games and Verlander 10. However, the 35-year-old Kershaw is more than capable of taking over. Verlander and Scherzer are nearing the end of their careers. Kershaw is still in his mid-30s and not far behind Scherzer.
It’s Greinke who stands out. He’s having the worst year of his career, going 1-13 with a 5.28 ERA in 24 games this season. On April 29, he took the loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4⅔ innings. His only win of the season came on May 4 against the Baltimore Orioles (5 innings, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts, no runs). At this pace, he’s likely to overtake Scherzer and, in the long run, Kershaw.메이저사이트
Veterans say one year is different than another. Whether Kershaw, the youngest of the top four active wins leaders, can catch up to Verlander, who has already surpassed 250 wins, is hard to say, as Kershaw has his own health issues. However, Greinke’s aging is clearly visible. For Kershaw, it’s worth targeting Greinke for now.