Clayton Kershaw, a left-hander for the Los Angeles Dodgers, gave a classic performance on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The seasoned southpaw pitched five innings with seven strikeouts and gave up only one run on six hits with no walks. Kershaw threw four shutout innings before giving up a run in the fifth, making it his finest start of the year.
With seven strikeouts, the three-time Cy Young champion came within 17 of reaching 3,000. If Kershaw were to accomplish the record this season, he would become the 20th member of the 3,000 strikeout club.
The Cardinals decided to repeat one of Kershaw’s rare poor performances in his career before he helped the Dodgers avoid the sweep. On the video board, Kershaw was shown allowing Matt Adams to hit a three-run home run during the 2014 National League Division Series.
“I don’t expect anything less from these guys, but I think it’s a little bush league,” Kershaw remarked. “So, don’t worry.”
The veteran may have been inspired by the pregame jeer to provide his greatest 2025 effort to yet.
The outcomes speak for themselves, even if this is not the first time a team has attempted to make fun of the 18-year veteran. After defeating the Cardinals 7-3 on Sunday, the Dodgers will travel back to California to play the San Diego Padres in a three-game series at Petco Park starting Monday night.
With five starts this season, Kershaw has a 4.35 ERA, 15 strikeouts, and 1.548 WHIP. After recovering from two offseason operations, the lefty started the season on the disabled list but returned early in May.
Due to a string of injuries to their pitching staff, the Dodgers only have three mainstay starters left in the rotation: Dustin May, Kershaw, and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
