This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history is memorable for the franchise as a whole, in addition to Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw, as April 30 marked a bit of a milestone for all three in separate seasons.
When the Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on April 30, 2014, it marked the 10,000th win in franchise history. At the time left the Dodgers trailing only the San Francisco Giants (10,709 wins), Chicago Cubs (10,447) and Atlanta Braves (10,421) for most in MLB history.
The Giants reached 10,000 wins milestone in 2005, the Cubs in 2008, and Braves in 2011. Of their victories, which of course have continued to increase since 2014, the Dodgers won 5,214 games while the franchise was in Brooklyn.
Zack Greinke struck out six and didn’t allow an earned run over seven innings of work. That game him an 18th consecutive regular-season start of at least five innings pitched and two runs or fewer allowed, which was the longest run since 1914.
Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Ethier, Juan Uribe and Yasiel Puig each had at least one RBI.
The Dodgers reaching 10,000 wins was celebrated that June with a special $10 ticket offer and commemorative pin giveaway. The first 40,000 fans in attendance received a 10,000 wins Dodgers pin, and were treated to a pregame ceremony that included a video tribute.
Dodgers history: April 30
Kemp sets franchise record behind hot start
On April 30, 2012, Kemp hit a home run — though in a Dodgers loss — against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The homer was Kemp’s 12th to begin the season, which at the time set a Dodgers franchise record for most in March/April.
That later was broken by Cody Bellinger, who hit 14 home runs through March/April games played during the 2019 season.
Ethier extends hitting streak
On April 30, 2011, Ethier, went 2-for-4 in a loss to the San Diego Padres, extending his Major League record for the longest April hitting streak to 26 games. He ultimately stretched it to 30 games, which fell just shy of tying Willie Davis’ 31-game hitting streak for the Dodgers franchise record.
Kershaw becomes Dodgers strikeout king
Also on this day in history, Clayton Kershaw passed Don Sutton for first place on the all-time Dodgers strikeout list.
Kershaw achieved the feat on April 30, 2022, against the Detroit Tigers. Kershaw becoming the new Dodgers strikeout king earned him a long standing ovation and the moment was recognized with a video to celebrate the left-hander reaching 2,697 career strikeouts.
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