Clayton Kershaw added another milestone to his Hall of Fame resume when he reached 3,000 career strikeouts in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in MLB history and just the fourth left-hander to accomplish the feat.
The 37-year-old became the Dodgers’ strikeout king on April 30, 2022, when he passed Don Sutton. Kershaw joined Steve Carlton, Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson and John Smoltz as the only pitchers in MLB history to reach 3,000 strikeouts with one team.
Kershaw’s historic achievement has been met with plenty of congratulatory messages, including CC Sabathia and former Dodgers teammates Austin Barnes and Jack Flaherty.
KERSH!!!!!!!!!
— Jack Flaherty (@jflare_) July 3, 2025
3K!! Incredible to witness @ClaytonKersh22 and so well deserved. Welcome to the club!!
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) July 3, 2025
Barnesy posted for Kersh pic.twitter.com/Q06bUiHoZx
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) July 3, 2025
Sabathia is a fellow member of the 3,000 strikeouts club and of course one of the more rare pitchers to be in the group by virtue of being a lefty.
Barnes was with the Dodgers for parts of 11 seasons before the team designated him for assignment this past May. Barnes caught Kershaw for 86 of his 438 career starts during that span.
Flaherty only had a brief stint with the Dodgers last season, but played a key role in the team winning the 2024 World Series.
Clayton Kershaw makes MLB history with 3,000th strikeout
Kershaw reached 3,000 career strikeouts on the 100th and final pitch of his start against the White Sox, becoming the first player in MLB history to do so.
Kershaw struck out Vinny Capra to cap off his outing. He completed six innings on the mound, allowing four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts in what was a no-decision.
“It was a special moment,” Kershaw said after the game. “It really was. Just super thankful for tonight, super thankful for my teammates. I told my teammates individual awards are great, but if you don’t have anybody to celebrate with, it doesn’t matter.
“So to have that room full of guys — coaches, strength staff, training staff, front office, everybody — just really be happy for me, is awesome. They were in it with me, and it was an amazing night. A lot of gratefulness on this end, for sure.”
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