Los Angeles Dodgers franchise history includes a long line of successful starting pitchers, with Dazzy Vance, Johnny Podres, Don Drysdale, Don Sutton, Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw among the more notable names.
The aforementioned group and other pitchers in Dodgers history have combined for Cy Young Awards, National League MVP and been part of World Series championship teams, among other accolades.
Kershaw is in his 17th season with the Dodgers organization and Hershiser remains connected to the team as part of the SportsNet LA broadcast crew. Hershiser was inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball during the 2023 season, and like Kershaw, had a memorable start on this day.
Dodgers history on Sept. 19
Orel Hershiser
During the 1988 season, Hershiser went the distance against the Houston Astros in a 1-0 win. John Shelby’s solo home run
The shutout was his fourth in a row and seventh during that year. Hershiser picked up his 22nd win and extended his scoreless streak to 40 innings in the process.
Clayton Kershaw
Also on Sept. 19, but during the 2014 season, Kershaw made a bit of history against the Chicago Cubs in the Dodgers’ 14-5 win at Wrigley Field.
He was spotted an early lead thanks to the Dodgers scoring six runs in the first inning and never looking back. Kershaw did allow three runs in the bottom of the first but nothing else as he got through five innings to qualify for his 20th win of the season. He was the first pitcher to tally that many in 2014.
That also made Kershaw the first Dodgers pitcher to reach 20 wins twice since Claude Osteen accomplished the feat in 1969 and 1972.
Overall in his career, Kershaw has just two 20-win seasons — in 2011 and 2014. Doing so the second time was accompanied by winning the NL MVP Award.
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