On April 17, 1956, Los Angeles Dodgers legend Don Drysdale made his MLB debut in a relief appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The right-hander walked a batter in what was a scoreless ninth inning.
Drysdale filled a swingman role for the Brooklyn Dodgers that year, making 12 starts and 25 total appearances. He went 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 55 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.
Drysdale spent his entire 14-year career with the Dodgers, going 209-166 with a 2.95 ERA, 3.02 FIP and 1.15 WHIP in 3,432 innings pitched across 518 games (465 starts).
Drysdale was a three-time World Series champion, nine-time All-Star and the 1962 National League Cy Young Award winner during his time with the Dodgers.
The Van Nuys, Calif., native was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, his 10th year of eligibility. Later that July, the Dodgers retired his No. 53 jersey.
Drysdale ventured into sports broadcasting after his playing career and held positions with five teams, including a five-year stint as a Dodgers radio broadcaster from 1988-1993.
Clayton Kershaw records 1,000th strikeout with Dodgers
Also on this day in Dodgers history, Clayton Kershaw recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in a start against the San Diego Padres during the 2013 season.
The left-hander took the mound at Dodger Stadium needing only one strikeout to reach the milestone. Kershaw’s 1,000th career strikeout came in the second inning when he got Yonder Alonso swinging.
Kershaw finished with five strikeouts in what was a losing effort against the Padres. He allowed five runs (three earned) and seven hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Kershaw became second-fastest Dodgers pitcher to tally 1,000 career strikeouts by reaching the milestone in 970 innings. Only ahead of him in Dodgers franchise history is Hideo Nomo, who reached 1,000 strikeouts in 954.1 career innings.
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