Clayton Kershaw
American baseball player (born 1988) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed starting pitcher, Kershaw has spent his entire MLB career with the Dodgers since debuting in 2008. He is a ten-time All-Star, three-time National League (NL) Cy Young Award winner, the 2014 NL Most Valuable Player, and a World Series champion in 2020. His 2.48 career earned run average (ERA) and 1.00 walks plus hits per inning pitched rate (WHIP) are the lowest among starters in the live-ball era (minimum 1,000 innings pitched).[1][2] He is widely regarded as being one of the greatest pitchers of all-time.[3]
Clayton Kershaw | |
---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 22 | |
Pitcher | |
Born: (1988-03-19) March 19, 1988 (age 36) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
MLB debut | |
May 25, 2008, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
Win–loss record | 210–92 |
Earned run average | 2.48 |
Strikeouts | 2,944 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Kershaw was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft and was the seventh overall pick. He worked his way through the Dodgers' farm system in just one full season and reached the majors at 20 years old. In 2011, he won the pitching Triple Crown and the NL Cy Young Award, becoming the youngest pitcher to accomplish either of these feats since Dwight Gooden in 1985. Kershaw pitched a no-hitter on June 18, 2014, becoming the 22nd Dodger to do so.
He was the first major league pitcher to lead MLB in ERA in four consecutive years (2011–2014) and also led the NL in a fifth.[4] Kershaw is also a three-time NL wins leader and three-time NL strikeouts leader. Despite his great regular season performances, however, Kershaw has struggled and been inconsistant during the postseason, with a 4.49 earned run average in 194.1 innings pitched and 39 appearences.[5]
Off the field, Kershaw is an active participant in volunteer work. He and his wife Ellen launched "Kershaw's Challenge" and wrote the book Arise to raise money to build an orphanage in Zambia. He has been honored with the Roberto Clemente Award and the Branch Rickey Award for his humanitarian work.