Clayton Kershaw became the all-time strikeouts leader in franchise history but the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t support his effort in a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers dropped to 0-5 in the middle contest of a three-game series this season.
Kershaw collected one strikeout in each of the first four innings to pass Don Sutton with 2,697 in his career. Kershaw accomplished the feat by getting Tigers rookie Spencer Torkelson swinging with one out in the fourth inning.
Dodger Stadium treated Kershaw to a long standing ovation, and he displayed an appreciation by twice stepping off the mound and tipping his cap to fans.
Kershaw didn’t stop after moving into first place on the Dodgers’ all-time strikeouts list as he got through six innings. He went on to become the 26th pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,700 strikeouts.
Mookie Betts provided an early lead with his 30th career leadoff home run (10th with the Dodgers). However, Tigers rookie starter Beau Briske managed to keep L.A. off the board from there. The Dodgers threatened on Chris Taylor’s two-out double in the fourth inning, but was stranded by Gavin Lux.
Evan Phillips was hurt by some misfortune and also didn’t have his usual sharpness pitching on back-to-back nights for the first time this season.
A hit batter and single put two on with nobody out in the seventh, and after consecutive strikeouts, Phillips allowed a go-ahead RBI double to Javier Báez on a grounder that stayed fair down the first-base line.
The two-out RBI hit was Báez’s second of the night as he previously tied the game on a single in the third inning.
Brusdar Graterol took over for Phillips, only to walk the bases loaded and give up a broken-bat two-run single. Tucker Barnhart added an RBI double off Reyes Moronta in the eighth inning to give the Tigers a final bit of cushion.
Dodger Stadium attendance
The Dodgers had an announced attendance of 52,613 to see Kershaw make franchise history and Kirk Gibson be inducted into the “Legends of Dodger Baseball.”
The sellout was the fourth at Dodger Stadium this season.
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