Clayton Kershew Becomes King Of Dodgers K’s

There have been a lot of great pitches in Los Angeles Dodgers history, but none have whiffed as many batters as Clayton Kershaw.

It’s true, as Kershaw became the franchise leader in strikeouts in the fourth inning on Saturday, passing the legendary Don Sutton in the process. It happened in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ game against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, when Kershaw sat down rookie Spencer Torkelson for his 2,697th regular-season strikeout.

Sutton has been the franchise leaders since 1979.

“Kershaw leads all Dodgers players in Baseball-Reference wins above replacement while ranking third in starts, fourth in wins and fifth in innings,” ESPN relayed. “Since the start of the live-ball era in 1920, he boasts the lowest all-time ERA (2.48 heading into Saturday) and WHIP (1.00) among starting pitchers with at least 1,500 innings.”

Kershawl, 34, actually tied the record in the second inning, receiving a standing ovations for his efforts. When he set the new record later, the place went nuts and the Dodgers offered a video tribute on the scoreboard.

He acknowledged the cheers by lifting the ball cap off his head — twice — and patting his chest.