Clayton Kershaw took a routine Wednesday night start against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium and made history by throwing the only no-hitter of his career on June 18, 2014.
A Yasiel Puig sacrifice fly and Matt Kemp RBI single spotted Kershaw a 2-0 lead heading into the second inning. He struck out the first two batters and got a groundout. Kershaw struck out two more batters in the third to give him five strikeouts on the night up to that point.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers taking a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the third, a victory was all but assured given how well their left-handed ace was pitching that season.
Excitement began to build with each out recorded, and Kershaw carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. That came to an end when Corey Dickerson’s chopper to shortstop resulted in a Hanley Ramirez throwing error to lead off the inning.
Kershaw struck out the next batter and was picked up by Miguel Rojas when the utility infielder made a backhanded stop and long throw from back of third base to keep the no-hitter in order.
Kershaw proceeded to strikeout three of the next six batters faced, including getting the final out on a strikeout, to put the finishing touches on the historic performance. Kershaw became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and no walks.
His 15 strikeouts in a no-hitter remains an MLB record. Of lesser note, the victory completed the Dodgers’ three-game sweep of the Rockies.
The no-hitter was the 22nd in Dodgers franchise history, and came shortly after Josh Beckett accomplished the feat against the Philadelphia Phillies. In March 2018, the Dodgers completed a combined no-hitter during a Mexico Series game started by Walker Buehler.
Kershaw went on to win the National League Cy Young and MVP Awards in 2014. He became the first NL pitcher to sweep both awards since Bob Gibson in 1968.
Dodgers sign Babe Ruth
Also on this day in Dodgers history, Babe Ruth signed with the team as a coach. He had been hoping for a role as manager but settled for becoming their third base coach.
Sandy Koufax statue
Also on this day in Dodgers history, a Sandy Koufax statue was unveiled in the center field plaza at Dodger Stadium. Koufax joined Jackie Robinson as having bronze Dodgers statues at the stadium.
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